One of the four candidates in the Broward contest for the Florida House that could send the first openly gay legislator to Tallahassee has scored a high-profile endorsement.

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, the openly gay Massachusetts Democrat, is recommending Mark LaFontaine for the seat that state Rep. Jack Seiler, D-Wilton Manors, vacates next year because of term limits.

LaFontaine, national treasurer of American Veterans for Equal Rights, an organization for gay veterans, is one of two openly gay candidates in the race. The other is Wilton Manors Commissioner Gary Resnick.

Also running are Wilton Manors Mayor Scott Newton and former Deerfield Beach Commissioner Gwyn Clarke-Reed.

The district -- which takes in parts of Deerfield Beach, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Poinsettia Heights, Pompano Beach, Tamarac, Victoria Park and Wilton Manors - includes sections with a large gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender population.

"Mark LaFontaine has been an effective defender and fighter for LGBT equality on a number of fronts," Frank said in a statement. "He will be an effective state representative, not just for the LGBT community, but for the broader community as well.

Members of Congress from outside Florida rarely get involved in the state's legislative races.

But in the contest to replace term-limited Democratic Rep. Jack Seiler, whose eastern Broward district includes the predominantly gay community of Wilton Manors, one of the nation's best-known gay politicians has taken sides.

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts has endorsed Oakland Park accountant Mark LaFontaine, who, if elected, would be the first openly gay member of the Florida Legislature.

"He will be an effective state representative, not just for the (gay) community, but for the broader community as well," Frank said in a statement.

His rivals include Wilton Manors Commissioner Gary Resnick, who is also gay, Wilton Manors Mayor Scott Newton and Deerfield Beach Commissioner Gwyndolen Clarke-Reed.