The runner-up in the Dallas, Texas mayoral election this year was an openly gay candidate, Democrat Ed Oakley.

"By all accounts, Oakley never tried to hide his sexual orientation, but he didn't trumpet it either," Newsweek reported. "Oakley never styled himself as a 'gay candidate' and he doesn't advocate for gay issues."

The race, won by Republican Tom Leppert, showed that Oakley had both strengths and disadvantages when running as an openly gay candidate. There were some unlikely examples of both.

As far as weaknesses, some Democrats did not want to vote for Oakley because of his homosexuality. Scott Bennett, of Dallasblog.com, noted that "Even some liberals he'd spoken to said they were planning to vote for Leppert because of the gay issue, including one socialite who didn't want the headlines to blare that Dallas had become the next San Francisco." Yet I'm guessing Oakley found some support from the city's gay evangelicals: "Dallas even has evangelical gays, and the Cathedral of Hope, said to be the world's largest gay church," Newsweek reported.

Running as an openly gay candidate may be one of the toughest current feats for anyone to accomplish. But it sounds like Oakley did a creditable job, and his effort should inspire future would-be campaigners to make the run.