Philly's Liberty
City Democrats Back Clinton

Philadelphia's Liberty City Democratic Club, one of three Pennsylvania chapters of the National Stonewall Democrats, has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. Stonewall's Steel City Democratic Club in Pittsburgh had previously endorsed Clinton while the Capital Region Club in Harrisburg has not voted on the matter.

Though Clinton clinched the endorsement with more than two thirds of the vote, the Sunday night meeting was not without contention. Both cochairs of Liberty City are Obama supporters, and according to Clinton supporter Jonathan Oriole, who attended the meeting, discussion ensued about postponing the vote or potentially not endorsing a candidate at all.

"If we chose not to endorse in this race, we might as well not endorse in any race," said Oriole, adding, "I spoke about this being our job."

One Liberty City cochair, who asked not to be identified for this story, said the club was pleased to make an endorsement based on the wishes of the membership.

In a prepared statement from her campaign, Clinton said, "I am honored to receive the support of the Liberty Democratic Club. LGBT Americans have been a part of this campaign from the start and I look forward to working with members of the Liberty Democratic Club to ensure that their voices are heard in this important Pennsylvania primary."

Clinton must log a decisive win in the Keystone State's April 22 primary in order to build a case for why she should be the Democratic nominee. Obama has more pledged delegates (those allotted by state votes) and currently leads in the popular vote. Pundits generally agree that she will need a solid string of wins in other states that have yet to vote, plus an upset in at least one state where Obama is expected to win, such as North Carolina or Oregon. Because it is mathematically impossible for either candidate to secure the nomination through pledged delegates alone, both candidates are directing their message at the 300-plus superdelegates who remain uncommitted and hold the key to the nomination.

LGBT activists in Pennsylvania have a number of competing interests in the Democratic race. While two of the three Stonewall chapters have endorsed Clinton, Obama's national LGBT policy chair, Tobias Wolff, is based in Philadelphia, and the state's highest-ranking LGBT official, Stephen Glassman, also supports Obama.

Oriole, who has volunteered for Clinton in New Hampshire, Texas, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware, said the situation in Pennsylvania is uncharted territory for him. Prior to the Clinton campaign having paid staffers in the state, he said people had already begun taking initiative in terms of organizing.

"I've never been in this kind of campaign before. I've always been involved in top-down campaigns," said Oriole. "The challenge for both us and the campaign is how do we encourage people to continue to take initiative while not overlapping or stepping on each other toes." (Kerry Eleveld, The Advocate)