Jan 16, 2004  |  By: JOE CREA  | COMMENTS     

Long before he became the gay liaison for Sen. John Kerry’s presidential bid, Tom Daley knew that Kerry was the candidate he planned to support. Daley said the Massachusetts senator has a long track record of supporting gay rights issues, dating back to 1985, “long before it was fashionable” to lend political support to gay rights causes.

“This isn’t just a guy talking about it, he was doing it before anyone else told him to do it,” Daley said.

Daley’s journey into presidential politics came after an extensive background in business and followed a phone call from a good friend, Bob Farmer. Farmer, who is gay and serving as the Kerry campaign’s national treasurer, asked Daley if he’d be willing to join the campaign to raise money from gay and lesbian contributors.

“Bob called me out of the blue one day and said, ‘John may run, would you be interested in joining the campaign,’” Daley said. “Knowing Bob well enough and his track record, especially his track record on gay and lesbian issues, I knew this was important.”

Farmer served as the counsel general to Bermuda during the Clinton administration. Daley, 37, said that technically, Farmer was the first openly gay ambassador, but he was appointed and did not have to face a confirmation hearing in Congress.

Daley has faced some ups and downs in his position as gay liaison to Kerry. In September, Campbell Spencer — Kerry’s first gay liaison — left during a campaign shakeup that resulted in the firing of Kerry’s campaign manager. Daley said that the Kerry campaign reduced its gay liaison from full-time to part-time status at the request of Spencer, who served as President Clinton’s gay liaison and who still plays an advisory role at the Kerry campaign.

Daley said that Spencer’s departure had nothing to do with the firing of Kerry’s campaign manager, and that the timing was coincidental.

Daley, who lives in Arlington, Va. and works as a consultant for Hotels.com, said he completely backs Kerry’s positions on gay issues, even his stance opposing gay marriage. Kerry has said that marriage should be between one man and
one woman but

has endorsed civil unions or domestic partnerships as an alternative.

“I do agree with John on this issue,” said Daley, who is a volunteer for the Kerry campaign. “I’m one of those believers that substance is more important than the name it is called and I think a lot of people fall into that category.”

When asked about Kerry’s response to his home state’s high court ruling that many say will legalize gay marriage in Massachusetts, Daley said Kerry is, “right there with it.”

“He was curious what my opinion was and what the impression was of folks out there,” Daley said. “He was interested in getting some feedback from his advisers and the people that this affects. We spent more than a few minutes on it.”
Kerry fights Dean for gay support

According to recent polls, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is in a dead heat with Congressman Dick Gephardt of Missouri, and Kerry is now in a tight race for third with North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, just days before next week’s caucuses. Daley said that Iowa will be a crucial test for Kerry, who has dropped form first to third in New Hampshire, behind Dean and former Gen. Wesley Clark.

Democratic Party presidential candidate trong>John Kerry speaks to a group in Iowa this week, where the latest polls put him in striking distance for the lead. The Iowa caucuses kick off the selection of delegates to the Democratic Party’s national nominating convention this summer. (Photo by Charlie Riedel/AP)

“We have set out to win,” Daley said. “Kerry’s been in this position before. It’s reminiscent of when he went against Bill Weld in [the 1996 race for Senate in] Massachusetts. John is working harder than he’s ever worked.”

When asked how Daley sells Kerry to gay voters ...