Gay Republicans Dismiss D.C. Rankings

Two gay Republican challengers for the D.C. council have dismissed the candidate rankings of a local political group as a "high school popularity contest" after receiving lower scores than the Democratic incumbents.

According to The Washington Post, candidates Marc Morgan in Ward 1 and Tim Day in Ward 5 have protested the rankings from the nonpartisan Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, which rates candidates based on their records and questionnaire responses.

"Morgan sent out a statement today accusing GLAA of engaging in a 'high school popularity contest,'" reported the Post on Thursday.

Morgan received a score of 3 in his race compared to gay incumbent Jim Graham, who received a perfect 10. In Ward 5, Day received a 1.5 score, while incumbent Harry Thomas Jr. received a 6.

GLAA defended its rankings, saying that the candidates with lower scores had minimal records and seemed to expect they would get points just for being gay.