Openly gay congressional hopeful Scott
Galvin lost his bid Tuesday to represent South Florida's District 17.
Galvin, a North Miami city councilman
for more than a decade, received less than six percent of the vote,
ranking eighth in a crowded field of nine contenders.
It is the largest loss so far for
openly gay elected officials this year. While three openly gay
incumbent representatives – Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Barney
Frank of Massachusetts and Jared Polis of Colorado – are expected
to keep their seats, two would-be freshmen – David
Cicilline of Rhode Island and Steve
Pougnet of California – face a steeper incline.
With nearly 35 percent of the vote,
Frederica Wilson, a Florida state senator, is virtually assured a
trip to Washington in this heavily Democratic leaning district. She
will face an independent challenger in the fall, but no Republican.
District 17 covers Miami's Little Haiti
and several Broward County suburbs.
South Florida gay rights group SAVE
Dade and the Gay
& Lesbian Victory Fund, a group that supports openly gay
elected officials, had endorsed Galvin's candidacy.
Galvin's campaign was marred in July
when half-a-dozen
yard signs in northeast North Miami were found defaced with the word
“fag.”
Last week, openly
gay former Santa Cruz mayor and state assemblyman John Laird lost his
California state Senate race.