Congressional candidate Bob Poe, of Orlando, announced he is HIV positive.
Poe, who is running for a seat in Florida’s 10th congressional district, made the announcement on his Facebook page Friday.
The former chairman of the Florida Democratic Party said he was motivated to announce his HIV status to the public after he met a woman who told him her HIV status was a death sentence.
He said he wanted her to know she wasn’t alone.
In the video, Poe said he was diagnosed with HIV 18 years ago, and he is “perfectly healthy.”
Poe, 61, is openly gay. He tied the knot with his partner of 8 years, Ken Brown, 60 (pictured far right), in 2015.
Poe has an adult daughter, Virginia Poe (pictured above) from a previous relationship with a woman.
In 2011, Obama, pictured above left, asked Poe to be the finance chairman for his 2012 reelection campaign.
