Though the Honolulu mayor’s race is nonpartisan and the city government has little control over gay rights, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii announced Thursday night it was supporting Kirk Caldwell‘s candidacy.

When Mayor Peter Carlisle was in Washington D.C. for the U.S. Conference of Mayors earlier this year, he did not join 75 other mayors in support of marriage equality. He later explained to Civil Beat why he steered clear of the issue:

“My answer to that is the same as it was when I was running for prosecutor and then for mayor,” Carlisle said. ”This is not a subject matter that my opinion makes any difference on.”

Read Capitol Watch for a full list of GLBT-backed candidates for federal and state races.

— Michael Levine