HRC's Joe Solmonese Named National Co-Chair for Obama Campaign

The Obama campaign has tapped outgoing Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese for a national co-chair position.

Solmonese, who is scheduled to exit the national LGBT organization next month (a successor has not yet been named), is one of 35 co-chairs announced early Wednesday by campaign officials.

The varied list includes Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, Caroline Kennedy, actress Eva Longoria, and former White House chiefs of staff Bill Daley and Rahm Emanuel, who was elected mayor of Chicago one year ago this week.

HRC endorsed President Obama for reelection in May of 2011, 18 months prior to the November election.

Citing the president’s record on such accomplishments as “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal and hate crimes legislation, Solmonese said in a statement, “President Obama has made it clear that LGBT Americans deserve a fair shot and has taken steps across his Administration to make the lives of those most in need in our community better. As a national co-chair, I am determined to do whatever I can do to help reelect President Obama so this progress can continue for our community."

The full national co-chair list, via Obama for America:

• Lynnette Acosta – OFA volunteer leader from Florida
• Marc Benioff – CEO of Salesforce.com
• Senator Michael Bennet – U.S. Senator from Colorado
• Mayor Julian Castro – Mayor of San Antonio
• Governor Lincoln Chafee – Governor of Rhode Island
• Ann Cherry – Retired teacher and OFA volunteer leader from North Carolina
• Representative Judy Chu – Representing the 32nd District of California
• Representative Emanuel Cleaver – Representing the 5th District of Missouri
• Bill Daley – Former White House Chief of Staff to President Obama, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce
• Maria Elena Durazo – Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
• Senator Dick Durbin – U.S. Senator from Illinois
• Mayor Rahm Emanuel – Mayor of Chicago
• Senator Russ Feingold – Former U.S. Senator from Wisconsin
• Representative Charles A. Gonzalez – Representing the 20th District of Texas
• Loretta Harper – High School Counselor and OFA volunteer leader from Nevada
• Attorney General Kamala Harris – Attorney General of California
• Sai Iyer – Student at Virginia Commonwealth University and OFA volunteer leader from Virginia
• Caroline Kennedy – Author/President of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
• Eva Longoria – Actress and Philanthropist
• Felesia Martin – OFA volunteer leader from Wisconsin
• Bishop Vashti McKenzie – African Methodist Episcopal Bishop
• Attorney General Tom Miller – Attorney General of Iowa
• Kalpen Modi – Actor/Former White House Associate Director for the Office of Public Engagement
• Admiral John Nathman – Retired U.S. Navy Admiral
• Governor Deval Patrick – Governor of Massachusetts
• Secretary Federico Pena - Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation and U.S. Secretary of Energy
• Elaine Price – Retired Ohio resident and OFA volunteer leader from Ohio
• Penny Pritzker – Founder and CEO of PSP Capital Partners
• John Register – U.S. Army Veteran and Paralympian
• Representative Jan Schakowsky – Representing the 9th District of Illinois
• Senator Jeanne Shaheen – U.S. Senator from New Hampshire
• Joe Solmonese – President of the Human Rights Campaign
• Alan Solow – Partner at DLA Piper LLP and past Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
• Governor Ted Strickland – Former Governor of Ohio
• Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa – Mayor of Los Angeles