Both Vice President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will headline a major gay rights group’s annual dinner, with Biden’s keynote speech coming just days before the first Democratic primary debate.
While Biden has yet to decide whether or not he will jump into the race, if he were to run in the primary, he would likely pose the biggest threat to Clinton. The Human Rights Campaign announced that Clinton would speak at the event earlier this week, and added Biden to the agenda on Friday. The organization hasn’t endorsed either candidate.
Clinton will speak to the Human Rights Campaign’s grassroots leaders and board of directors. Chad Griffin, the organization’s leader, referred to the former secretary of state as a “tremendous advocate,” “tireless champion” and a “visionary leader” fighting for the advancement of LGBT rights as human rights around the world.
Biden publicly endorsed gay marriage weeks before the president did in 2012. He most recently helped introduce the Equality Act to Congress.
“Vice President Biden has stood up for the rights of all Americans to live their lives free from discrimination and fear throughout his remarkable career, and he’s a true champion of LGBT equality,” Griffin said. “From his historic announcement in support of marriage equality to his ongoing commitment to achieving full federal equality for LGBT Americans, the vice president has proven time and again that he’s a stalwart ally to our community.”
Clinton currently leads the Democratic field, with 40.5 percent of the vote nationally, followed by Bernie Sanders with 25.8 percent and Biden with 20.8 percent.
