Jun 01, 2007  |  By: LOU CHIBBARO J  | COMMENTS     

The first in a series of gay fundraisers for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton drew about 300 people in Washington last week and was expected to pull in $400,000 for her campaign, one of the lead organizers of the event said.

“Her support runs incredibly deep in our community,” said lesbian Democratic Party fundraiser Claire Lucas, a member of the host committee for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community for Hillary. The group sponsored the May 23 event at the Mayflower Hotel.

Clinton, who spoke at the event, talked about gay and non-gay issues and invited gays to become part of her mission to end the war in Iraq and bring full health care to all Americans, according to D.C. gay Democratic activist Peter Rosenstein.

“She spoke off the cuff and from the heart,” Rosenstein said. “She said all people will be visible in her administration. She said it’s her goal to make sure no one would be in danger of being fired for putting a picture of his or her partner on their desk at work.”

The May 23 Clinton fundraiser was closed to the press, according to Jin Chon, a Clinton campaign spokesperson designated for the “specialty press,” which includes the gay press.

Chon declined to give an official figure for the amount the event raised. But Lucas, who serves on the advisory and finance boards of the Democratic National Committee, said the event was expected to raise about $400,000.

She and Rosenstein said the attendees resembled a convention of the nation’s most prominent gay and lesbian rights leaders. Among those present were former officials in the administration of President Bill Clinton, including Bruce Lehman, Clinton’s Assistant Secretary of Commerce; Fred Hochberg, deputy director of the U.S. Small Business Administration; and Neel Lattimore, press secretary to then-First Lady Hillary Clinton.

Others attending were Joe Solmonese and Elizabeth Birch, current and former Human Rights Campaign presidents; Rebecca Haag, head of the national advocacy group AIDS Action; and Steve Elmendorf, lobbyist and former aide to former House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.).

Hochberg noted that the Hillary Clinton fund-raiser was the first large-scale gay fund-raiser so far for any of the 2008 presidential candidates. Hochberg said Clinton is also the first of the 2008 presidential contenders to create a “designated GLBT desk” at her campaign for both constituent outreach and fundraising.

He said another gay fundraiser for Clinton is scheduled for June 22 in Los Angeles.

“I think this underscores the importance she places in the GLBT community,” Hochberg said. “It also underscores the importance our community will have in the outcome of this election.”

An invitation sent to prospective attendees announced a three-tiered admission fee of $500 for a “supporter,” $1,000 for a “friend” and $2,300 for a “sponsor.”

A contribution of $2,300 is the maximum allowed by an individual for a presidential primary campaign under the federal campaign finance law. A separate maximum contribution of $2,300 is allowed for the general election campaign for a presidential candidate.

Hochberg, former New York businessman who serves as dean of New York City’s New School for Management & Urban Policy, said he has already “maxed out” by contributing the full $4,600 to the Clinton campaign. Clinton would be required to refund half that amount if she does not win the Democratic Party nomination in the summer of 2008.

But Hochberg and Lucas said they are optimistic Clinton will win the nomination and make history by becoming the first female U.S. president.

“She is by far the most qualified for this job,” Lucas said.

Hochberg called Clinton the most supportive of all the presidential contenders on gay civil rights, saying her record of support as First Lady and as U.S. senator from New York surpasses that of her Democratic and Republican rivals.

Hochberg said he doesn’t believe Clinton’s opposition to same-sex marriage will hurt her among the majority of gay voters. He said most gays understand that marriage is a long-range goal and that other, first-step goals must come first, such as passage of a gay and transgender civil rights bill and hate crimes bill.

“She understands our issues and is strongly committed to our cause,” Hochberg said.