Metro Weekly

LCR Backs Mara

Gay Republicans make City Council endorsement

D.C.’s LGBT Republicans, as represented by the local chapter of Log Cabin Republicans, may not enjoy quite as much influence as their Democratic counterparts, the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, but LCR-DC still has a candidate in the upcoming special election for the At-Large City Council seat vacated by Kwame Brown in January when he became chair of the Council.

Patrick Mara
Patrick Mara

On March 24, LCR-DC announced its endorsement of Patrick Mara, who currently sits on the D.C. State Board of Education. In 2008, he won the Republican primary against then-Councilmember Carol Schwartz, though Michael A. Brown (I-At Large) won the seat.

”Patrick is an amazing candidate and a great friend not only to Log Cabin, but also to the entire LGBT community,” LCR-DC President Robert Turner said in a release announcing the endorsement. ”He is the only candidate who actually testified in support of bringing marriage equality to the District.”

Looking at the field of nine candidates listed to run for the seat in the April 26 special election – six of whom are Democrats, including the Stein Democrats-endorsed Sekou Biddle, who currently serves as interim councilmember for the seat in play; and former Councilmember Vincent Orange – Turner tells Metro Weekly he sees a possible opening for Mara, despite the District’s heavily Democratic demographics.

”It’s any person’s race. Who knows what’s going to happen?” says Turner. ”He’d definitely bring independence to the Council, a sense of fiscal discipline. It’s going to be an interesting race. I don’t think anyone can say with certainty that their candidate is going to pull ahead.”

Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism

These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!