|
 Clinton, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential
nomination, is gladhanding her way through the Bay Area’s
establishment and the newer technology class that could serve as an
important source of money, votes and credibility among the broader
electorate.
On Friday, she will attend a fundraiser at the Silicon Valley home
of eBay <EBAY.O> chief executive John Donahoe and his wife Eileen,
director of global affairs for the advocacy group Human Rights
Watch. The event is expected to attract many of the area’s power
players.
"Silicon Valley provides a literal and metaphorical wealth of
support for candidates. It's a community of people focused on the
future,” said Dan Newman, a strategist at SCN Partners, a campaign
consultancy. “And of course, to paraphrase (bank robber) Willie
Sutton, it's where the donors live.”
 The event on Friday follows San Francisco fundraisers hosted by
hedge fund manager and environmentalist Tom Steyer and entrepreneur
Susie Buell.
At Steyer’s Wednesday gathering at his home, Clinton was asked by a
guest whether she was the Eleanor Roosevelt of her day or if
Roosevelt was the Clinton of her day, according to an attendee who
didn’t want to be named because the event was private.
Clinton drew laughs with a self-deprecating response that downplayed
the comparison to the storied national icon and feminist activist,
the attendee said.
[to top of second column] |
Later in the day, she visited the city’s Century Club for an event
hosted by Buell, co-founder of the clothing chain Esprit. There, she
spoke for about 30 minutes on topics ranging from student debt to
healthcare to immigration, according to a guest who also declined to
be identified.
Clinton, who called earlier this week for a pathway to citizenship
for undocumented immigrants, is expected to return to the
immigration issue on Friday before a crowd that will likely include
a high percentage of technology players.
Immigration represents the top political issue for many Silicon
Valley executives, who would like to hire more foreign engineers,
data scientists, and other highly educated workers due to what they
say is a shortage of U.S. workers in those fields.
(Reporting by Sarah McBride; editing by Andrew Hay)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
