Four openly gay candidates vying for seats in the New York City Council have advanced to the November general election, where they are heavily favored to win.

All four candidates were among the six endorsed by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, a group that promotes openly gay elected officials. The group's backing of six candidates in a single city was a record.

Daniel Dromm trumped eight-year incumbent Helen Sears in a three-way contest for the Queens district 25 seat. It's Dromm's freshman run at politics after serving 24 years as a public school teacher. Dromm also enjoyed the endorsement of the New York Times: “Though Councilwoman Helen Sears has made efforts to expand her [constituency] services, the district deserves more energetic representation.”

Dromm also pointed to the lack of constituency services as putting him over the top with voters.

“People felt it was time for a change,” he told gay weekly Gay City News. “The Council member was not present.”

Next door, in district 26, James Van Bramer also advanced. Van Bramer is the very out candidate who is running on a decades-old record of gay and AIDS activism and an impressive resume of grassroots organizing.

“James Van Bramer has done good work for the borough's enviable library system and has the independence and energy the Council needs,” the New York Times said in its endorsement.

District 26 is also in Queens, and voters in the borough will now have two gay men to hold accountable.

Meanwhile, in Manhattan, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn easily held on to the district 3 seat she has tended to for nearly a decade. Still, the victory was weak, raising questions about whether she'll be able to hang on to her leadership post as speaker. In defending her seat, Quinn attracted 52 percent of the vote, an unimpressive feat for an incumbent facing two unseasoned challengers (both were women who also happen to be gay).

About the four gay candidates who appear headed for victory, Quinn told The Village Voice: “There are now four gay members of the council, the most ever. I'm very excited about the fact that we've doubled the size of our caucus.”

Finally, the biggest winner of them all was Rosie Mendez, the district 2 openly lesbian candidate. Mendez is asking voters for four more years, and, by the likes of it, voters seem happy to give it to her. Mendez trounced her opponent, Juan Pagan, with a resounding 82 percent of the vote.