Clinton’s gay supporters: What enthusiasm gap?

Hillary Clinton won’t be marching in New York City’s Pride Parade on Sunday in Manhattan, and she has no plans to march in any pride parades across the country, but her absence hasn’t diminished the community’s enthusiasm for her.

Indeed, many gay leaders are so on board for her campaign that they prefer she spend time building support elsewhere instead of marching alongside them.

“She’s a former secretary of state, and they’re coming up on fundraising deadlines,” said Beth Shipp, executive director of LPAC, the “lesbian super pac,” which endorsed Clinton in April, justifying Clinton’s absence. “She is getting pulled in all directions, by all sources. The fact that the campaign is putting up a presence at pride events, even without her there, is great.”

Clinton’s campaign is registered to participate in the New York parade, and top staffers and volunteers are planning to march, flying campaign banners. And on Saturday in New Hampshire, New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who grew up in Hanover and is the first openly gay person to be elected to Congress from New York, will host the kickoff event for the “LGBT Granite Staters for Hillary,” in Portsmouth.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/clintons-gay-supporters-what-enthusiasm-gap-119409.html#ixzz3e85fxhAn