Ken Mehlman, former chairman of the Republican National Committee and the former campaign manager for George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election bid, has told his family and colleagues that he is gay, according to The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder. Mehlman, who headed the RNC from 2005 to 2007, becomes the highest-profile national Republican figure to come out as gay. In the interview, Mehlman said that he reached the decision to come out in part because he would like to play a greater role as an advocate for same-sex marriage.

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