Gay Democrat Gary Harrell was unsuccessful today in his bid for a seat on the Floyd County Commission in Rome, Ga.
With all precincts reporting, unofficial results from the Rome Election Office show Harrell with 10,653 votes (34.58 percent) for the Post 2 seat, compared to 20,130 (65.33 percent) for Republican incumbent Garry E. Fricks.
Prior to the election, Harrell told GA Voice he did not think his sexual orientation had been an issue in the race. He said he was running on a platform of fresh ideas, supporting small businesses, balancing the county’s budget thoughtfully and using new green and clean technology to move Floyd County forward.