As the knock-down
drag-out race for the Democratic presidential
nomination wears on, LGBT political insiders have begun
speculating about possible administration gigs. If
Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton goes on to win in
November, who might the new president tap for high-level
appointments or key White House staff? The
Advocate offers a sneak peek at a few of the contenders
for both camps -- and a couple of unaffiliated talents
either candidate may draft.
OBAMA'S POTENTIAL
PICKS
Steve Hildebrand, political strategist
Campaign role: deputy national campaign manager
A longtime confidant of former Senate majority
leader Tom Daschle and an early Obama booster,
Hildebrand was Midwest political director for the
Democratic National Committee and political director for the
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. In 2005 he
launched a consulting firm with politico Paul Tewes.
Jeremy Bernard and Rufus Gifford, cofounders, B+G Associates
Campaign role: financial consultants
This duo oversees fund-raising for Obama in
California. Bernard worked on Bill Clinton’s
first presidential campaign and was a delegate to the
1996, 2000, and 2004 Democratic National Conventions and
will be there this year; Gifford is a former movie
industry executive who raised $30 million as the
DNC’s deputy finance director for western states
during John Kerry’s 2004 campaign.
Matt Nosanchuk, counsel to Sen. Bill Nelson
Campaign role: convener of Obama’s LGBT Policy
Committee, member of his National LGBT Leadership Council
Before working in the Senate, Nosanchuk was a senior
policy fellow for Third Way, founding the progressive
think tank’s gay equality initiative. He also
had stints at the House Judiciary Committee and the
Justice Department.
Stampp Corbin, technology executive and entrepreneur
Campaign role: member of National LGBT Leadership Council
Corbin’s history with Obama dates back to
his Chicago childhood, when he and Michelle Obama were
schoolmates; years later, the three attended Harvard
together. The founder of technology firms RetroBox and
Resource One, Corbin was a national adviser to the
Small Business Administration under President Clinton.
Tobias Wolff, University of Pennsylvania law professor
Campaign role: chair of Obama’s LGBT Policy Committee
Wolff is an expert on civil procedure and
constitutional law who has consulted on major class
action proceedings and is on the executive board of
the Equal Justice Society. Before his academic career, he
was a litigator at the blue-chip firm Paul, Weiss.
Also in the running…
Eric Stern, associate director, career development,
University of California, Berkeley, law school
Stern has been executive director of National
Stonewall Democrats and head of the DNC’s LGBT
outreach program. Before endorsing Obama he was an
adviser to John Edwards’s campaign.
David Mixner, political strategist and activist
Mixner, an unofficial adviser to elected
officials and business leaders on domestic and foreign
policy for decades, became a prominent Obama supporter
after Edwards bowed out. He was national chairman for Rep.
Richard Gephardt’s 2004 presidential campaign and a
key player in Bill Clinton’s first White House
run.
Ben LaBolt, campaign spokesman
Before joining the campaign, LaBolt worked in
Obama’s Senate office, and he’s a former
aide to Democratic congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of
Illinois. He also put in time on Howard Dean’s 2004
campaign and at the DNC.
Kevin Jennings, executive director, Gay, Lesbian,
and Straight Education Network
Jennings, a former high school history teacher,
founded GLSEN in 1990.
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