Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign reached out to gay supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton in a conference call today, acknowledging the devoted following Clinton enjoys among many gay voters, while asserting Obama’s commitment to gay rights.
Steve Hildebrand, Obama’s deputy campaign manager, hosted the call that was joined by about 1,200 listeners, and promised that within two weeks Obama would host a follow-up call to address gays directly. In his remarks, Hildebrand emphasized Obama’s “rock solid commitment to gay equality.”
“We know there are a lot of people who have supported Sen. Clinton on the call,” Hildebrand said, “we recognize the pain that goes with some of this, but we need your help, we want your help … we’ll take it when you’re ready.”
Hildebrand made several staffing-related announcements. Brian Bond, who currently serves as the gay outreach director for the Democratic National Committee, will move to Chicago to become director of constituencies for the Obama campaign. That role will involve outreach to a broad range of voters, not just gays.
Lesbian musician Melissa Etheridge will serve as a co-chair of Obama’s 50-state voter registration campaign. Joan Garry, former executive director of GLAAD, and Kevin Jennings, founder of GLSEN, will serve as co-chairs of Obama’s LGBT finance operations.
Elizabeth Birch, former executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, spoke about her strong support for Clinton.
Obama reaches out to Clinton’s gay supporters
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