Gay rights groups face off over Conn. House seat

A House race between an openly gay Republican and a Democratic LGBT supporter is drawing the attention of gay rights groups to Connecticut’s Fifth District.

{mosads}Clay Cope is looking to become the first openly gay Republican elected to the House. But he faces an uphill battle as he tries to unseat two-term Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.), who has a gay brother and is a longtime backer of LGBT rights.

The two candidates received dueling endorsements this week from gay rights groups.

The political action committee formed by the Democratic-controlled Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus on Friday endorsed Esty.

“Since long before she came to Congress, Elizabeth has championed efforts to stop discrimination against LGBT Americans in all aspects of life, whether at school, at the workplace, or in the armed services,” said Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), co-chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus.

The Log Cabin Republicans, which represent gay conservatives in politics, earlier this week endorsed Cope, along with Paul Babeu, an openly gay sheriff and the GOP nominee for Arizona’s First District.

“These candidates for elected office represent the future of the GOP — strong, pro-equality Republicans with a winning message and a viable path to victory in November,” Log Cabin Republicans President Gregory T. Angelo said in a statement.

Esty also won the endorsement of the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence, a gay gun control organization. The Fifth District includes Newtown, Conn., the site of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012.

Nonpartisan election analysts Cook Political Report, Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball all rate the seat as either solidly or safely Democratic. Esty won the vacant seat in 2012 with 52 percent of the vote, and was reelected in 2014 with 53 percent.