WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democrats running for president are more supportive of gay rights than any previous primary ticket, but most are not quite pro-gay enough for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute.
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"Most of these candidates are very much on safe ground on all of the positions they are taking on gay issues and aren't risking a whole lot," said Matt Foreman, the group's executive director.
Former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun is the only candidate who supports all 11 of the group's issues, including the right for gay couples to marry.
Gay marriage is the most divisive issue among the Democratic hopefuls. The only three who support it are long shots — Braun, Al Sharpton and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio.
Even Howard Dean, who is admired by many in the gay community because as Vermont governor he signed the nation's only civil unions law, does not support gay marriage. He says it's not necessary because civil unions give gay couples all the legal rights of married couples.
Dean ranked second in the report because he supports all the other issues promoted by the task force. The remaining candidates support from six to nine of the group's issues, except Sen. Bob Graham of Florida, who did not respond to the group's survey.
Graham is on record in support of four of the pro-gay measures — nondiscrimination for sexual orientation, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, extending the definition of hate crimes to include sexual orientation and extension of domestic partner benefits. A majority of Americans tend to support those measures, according to polls cited by the group.
Graham spokesman Jamal Simmons said Graham supports equal opportunity and legal protection for gays and has a much stronger record than President Bush.
"I'm sure there will be some groups that differ with this position or that one," Simmons said. "But you stack any one of us against George Bush and it's a clear choice for that community."
Foreman said gays have been a reliable Democratic voting bloc, but noted that a quarter of gays who voted in the 2000 election chose President Bush, up from the 14 percent who voted for his father in 1992.
"There is some percentage of the gay vote that is up for grabs and the Democrats shouldn't take it for granted," he said.
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The Democratic National Committee has narrowed its list of potential debate sites to Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, N.M., Miami, Portland, Ore., and Phoenix, Ariz.
Six cities will soon be selected by the DNC to host debates that will be scheduled about once a month until next year's nomination elections. The forums will be co-sponsored by media outlets and constituency groups, according to party leaders and campaign managers involved in negotiations.
Those sponsors will have some say in what cities host the debates, so it is still possible that a city not on the DNC finalists' list could be tapped, officials said.
Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., proposed the once-a-month format after the campaigns were swamped with dozens of requests from a wide range of Democratic political organizations, all demanding that the candidates appear at their forums.
Each debate may be sponsored by more than one constituency group.
The DNC has discussed the city sites and sponsorship formats with most — but not all — of the campaigns.
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Lieberman picked up an endorsement from Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr, one of 12 high-tech industry leaders to back his White House bid on Wednesday.
As part of the Northern California-based Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Doerr sponsored several major investments in such companies as Compaq, Amazon.com, Netscape and Sun Microsystems. Doerr advised Democrat Al Gore's campaign in 2000.
Lieberman, who is on a West Coast campaign swing this week, also will be endorsed Thursday by California Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante during a joint appearance at the Santa Monica Beach.
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Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards is receiving the endorsement of more than 70 Iowa Democratic activists.
Among those backing the candidacy of the North Carolina senator are Polk County Sheriff Dennis Anderson, Cherokee County Democratic chairwoman Janet Melton and two members of the party's state Central Committee.
The package of endorsements will be released Thursday; The Associated Press obtained a copy of the list.
Iowa's precinct caucuses on Jan. 19 will launch the presidential nominating season, and competition is keen for the backing of key activists who could help sway others. With fewer than 100,000 activists likely to attend those caucuses and a large and active field of candidates courting them, a relatively small group of people can influence the outcome.
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Associated Press writers Beth Fouhy in San Francisco, Ron Fournier in Washington, D.C., and Mike Glover in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.