Two established Democratic and LGBT leaders have come out in support of 2008 presidential candidate John Edwards. Both men plan to be actively involved in the Edwards campaign.

Eric Stern has served as both the Executive Director of the Stonewall Democrats, and former Director of LGBT Outreach for the Democratic National Committee. Stern writes on the Edwards website "I initially was inspired to enter the field of activism and politics because of my desire to advocate for disdvantaged communities. John Edwards is the only presidential candidate who has a demonstrated committment to the social justice issues about which I care so deeply."

David Mixner is a long time political strategist, advocate, and activist. He has played important roles in over 75 campaigns, including Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign. Mixner is a former national co-chair of the Victory Fund. Mixner recently told the New York Observer "This is probably the first election in a while that LGBT issues are not what I'm voting on. It's the first election where other issues are coming to the fore."