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 Draft Biden, the outside Super PAC that is laying the groundwork
for a run, believes it can tap into a disproportionately large
number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) members of
the Democratic fundraising pool to support Biden instead of the
former secretary of state.
Gays and lesbians were a critical part of President Barack Obama's
coalition in 2008 and 2012. They could play a pivotal role in a
close 2016 primary race by tipping progressive-leaning voters toward
one candidate through dollars and advocacy.
Draft Biden has made contact with donors and plans a concerted
effort in the coming weeks to reach gay groups in early voting
states such as New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina, and Nevada to
"talk about the vice president's long-standing leadership on
equality issues," said Brad Bauman, a Draft Biden adviser.
It will not be easy.
Clinton, the front-runner for the 2016 Democratic presidential
nomination, has lined up high-profile LGBT support early and has
made gay rights a centerpiece of her campaign.
But Biden's cheerleaders see an opening for the vice president. In
2012, he surprised the White House by endorsing gay marriage during
a television interview, forcing Obama to come out in support of
same-sex unions earlier than he had planned.
"If Joe Biden does enter the presidential race, he’s going to get
very strong support from the LGBT community and deservedly so," said
Jon Cooper, an openly gay former Clinton supporter who now serves as
Draft Biden's national finance chair.
He noted an estimate that one in six of Obama's fundraising
"bundlers" were gay, a sign of their strategic and financial
importance. Cooper said the response from gay donors for a Biden run
had been positive so far.
"There are some that have already offered support to Draft Biden,
many others that have told (me) that if Biden announces, they’re
absolutely on board," he said.
Clinton backers, however, cast doubt on the enthusiasm of LGBT
fundraisers for other candidates only months before the start of
early state contests to decide the Democratic nominee.
"I think it’s too late," said Steve Elmendorf, a Clinton fan and
former chair of the Victory Fund, a group that provides financial
and political support to gay candidates.
 "The vast majority of people I know in the community are already for
Hillary. And I don’t think that’s going to change.”
JUMPING SHIP
Gay activist groups, including the influential Washington-based
Human Rights Campaign, have so far largely declined to say whether
members would side with Biden over Clinton in a primary race that
would be dominated by gay-friendly candidates.
Duncan Osborne, a member of Queer Nation, a group that fights
discrimination against LGBT people, noted Clinton had
vulnerabilities despite her broad support.
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"There are undoubtedly people who don't like the email stuff, and it
makes me uncomfortable," he said, referring to Clinton's
controversial use of a private email server for official business
while she was secretary of state. "I'm sure there are other people
in the LGBT community who share that discomfort."
Draft Biden said many fundraisers were still uncommitted. The group
is also targeting donors who have sided with less prominent
Democratic presidential candidates.
"(Biden) has a history of great accomplishment and should he enter
the field ... it becomes a real issue for me," said a gay rights
activist who raised $400,000 for Obama's 2008 campaign and now
supports Martin O'Malley, the former governor of Maryland, whose
campaign has not gained traction in the polls.
"Do I jump ship? And I’m really pondering this, very heavily," said
the donor, who requested anonymity.
Even though Biden came out in support of gay marriage before
Clinton, some gay rights activists say they are still sticking with
the Democratic front-runner.
"No one will ever forget what (Biden) did for the community and
we’ll be eternally grateful to him for it,” said Roberta Kaplan, the
attorney whose successful argument before the Supreme Court resulted
in it striking down elements of the Defense of Marriage Act, a law
that denied federal benefits to married gays and lesbians.
Kaplan said the gay community's gratitude to Biden did not supersede
its history with Clinton, whose support for LGBT issues went back
years before same-sex marriage was a hot political topic.
"It’s an enduring love, I think, for Hillary Clinton because we know
she’s been with us for such a long time and at a time when the world
was a very, very different place.”
(Reporting by Jeff Mason)
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