ELECTION ROUNDUP: The LGBT Breakdown

Ben Allatt is set to serve as Harrisburg City Council's second-ever openly gay councilman.

You win some, you lose some. When it comes to gay candidates in Pennsylvania’s primary yesterday (Tue., May 21), we literally won one, and lost one — according to Equality Pennsylvania’s list of LGBT-friendly candidates, at least.

While openly gay and victorious Harrisburg City Council candidate Ben Allatt surely downed a few celebratory cocktails last night after a horse race of a contest, openly gay H-burg mayoral candidate Dan Miller walked away from the stage disappointed, but with his head held high.

“I’m proud of the way we ran our campaign,” Miller told a crowd of supporters at his Tuesday night reception. “We didn’t steal anybody’s signs. We didn’t mislead people. We didn’t lie to people. We didn’t do any of the stuff people think politics is about.”

Had Miller won, he could have positioned himself in November as the first-ever openly gay mayor in Pennsylvania, and solidified a trifecta in Harrisburg that would have included the currently-unopposed Allatt in City Council as well as sitting Harrisburg City Treasurer John Campbell, who is also openly gay.

Granted, there’s no Brian Sims-sized big win to see here, but Allatt’s triumph is one small step forward for equality in good ole Pennsylvania — and Pennsyltucky, for that matter.

On the local front, Equality Pa.-endorsed candidates were met with an equally mixed reception.

The breakdown of the Philadelphia/Southeastern Pennsylvania vote as of this morning:

WINNERS:

• Giovanni Campbell (7.46 percent of the vote) – Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
• Lori Schreiber (Unopposed) – Abington Township Commissioner
• Erica Weiherer (27.5 percent of the vote) – Spring City Borough Council

LOSERS:

• Shoshana Bricklin (7.6 percent of the vote) – Philadelphia Municipal Court
• Inja Coates (5.05 percent of the vote) – Philadelphia Traffic Court
• Brett Mandel (30.78 percent of the vote) – Philadelphia City Controller
• Mimi DeSouza (45.2 percent of the vote) — Norristown Municipal Council – District 1

And if anyone cares enough to grab a drink in Dallastown or Dillsburg, the two have officially departed the league of more than 70 dry Central Pennsylvania municipalities, thanks to voter-approved referendums. More signs of progress, folks!

Follow G Philly on Twitter | Like G Philly on Facebook | Follow G Philly on Instagram