Saturday’s Capital Pride parade mixed the old (D.C. Council chairman Phil Mendelson handing out leis) with the new (a very confused Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton being pulled into a selfie). One thing that isn’t going away anytime soon: LL’s superlatives.

Best Spheres: If you liked wondering if primary straw polls actually mean anything, you’ll love trying to discern anything about a candidate’s support from their Pride entourage. Lined up next to each other in the parade order, would-be mayors Muriel Bowser and David Catania both brought substantial crews. Despite Catania’s show, though, LL has to give the edge here to Bowser’s campaign balloons, even though they frequently got their lines tangled up.

One rogue Bowser balloon popped a guy standing next to LL right in his fedora. Not a great way to win votes, but maybe those aren’t the kind of votes you want anyway.

Asked about Bowser’s balloons, Catania campaign manager Ben Young cracked that Bowser has always had the edge in hot air.

Best Chance for the Statehood Greens to Ever Win Elected Office Again: November’s super-sized D.C. Council at-large field meant a number of parade entries, including hopefuls Brian Hart, Kishan Putta, and a pink-wigged Elissa Silverman. 

Most intriguingly, though, Statehood Green candidate Eugene Puryear had one of the largest crowds, a mic, and some Pride-specific lit to match.

Best Spat: Lame duckitude hasn’t hurt Mayor Vince Gray‘s ability to get bodies for his parade posse. Perhaps emboldened by his substantial back-up, Gray tried to put beads on anti-gay protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church. Unsurprisingly, they weren’t interested in joining “Gray Pride.”

“Apparently, they don’t like beads, so go figure,” Gray spokesman Pedro Ribeiro says.

Photo by Will Sommer