Richardson: ‘I can bring this country together’

White House bid is finally official

Gov. Bill Richardson announced today that he is seeking the Democratic Party’s 2008 nomination for president.

The worst-kept secret in New Mexico became official with an exclusive interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Week (click here to read the article and here to watch a video clip) and was followed by an interview with the Albuquerque Journal.

“I’m a westerner. This is a new area that is fertile for the Democratic Party,” Richardson told Stephanopoulos. “But most importantly, I can bring this country together.”

Richardson said he will be able to compete with the star power of candidates like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

“I will outwork anybody. I’m a westerner. I’m a governor. Governors have good records in being elected president because we balance budgets, we deal with health care, with education,” he said. “I believe I can be competitive in raising money.”

“The next president must be able to make us energy independent, must be able to make schools better, create jobs, give the American people, every American, a fair shot,” he told Stephanopoulos. “To get that done, you need real-life experience. All I’m saying is, a lot of these folks can make speeches about all these things. I’ve actually done it.”

In it to win it

Some speculate that Richardson is really seeking the vice presidential nomination because he will have trouble raising the $100 million most think it will take to win the primary and he has lower name recognition than others. He was mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate to Al Gore in 2000 and interviewed for the job by John Kerry in 2004.

Richardson said doesn’t want the No. 2 job.

“I’m not interested in being vice president,” he said. “I’ve got a better job as governor of New Mexico. If I don’t get this nomination, I’ll come back and be governor. This is not a strategy that leads to another position.”

Richardson told the Journal that, though he is only forming an exploratory committee at this point – the same thing Clinton and Obama have done – he is running.

“Absolutely. I’m going to run. That’s on the record. I’m going to run,” he said.

Focusing on legislative session

Richardson said he won’t make a “formal announcement” until after the legislative session ends on March 17, and that’s the reason he is forming an exploratory committee now instead of a full campaign.

“I’ll do some now, but most of the fundraising and travel will come after the legislative session ends,” the Journal quoted him as saying. “My priority is the session and getting my agenda passed, and this has slowed down our efforts a bit, but I feel that New Mexico – those who elected me – deserve my attention to get our agenda passed.”

“I think a formal announcement should happen when you do the rollout and you’ve signed up supporters,” he said. “I am not going after the endorsements (from) politicians. I’m going to go straight for the people, as I always have. It’s voters. It’s grassroots. I’m going to go focus on primary voters who will cast their votes in January (when the first four primaries will be held).”

Campaign based in New Mexico

Richardson said the campaign will be based in New Mexico. Most staffers will work out of an office in Albuquerque, but there will be a small office in Santa Fe for Richardson and Dave Contarino, Richardson’s former chief of staff and his right-hand man. Contarino will run his presidential campaign.

Richardson acknowledged being an underdog, but said he is “comfortable” in that position.

“The race is a year away,” he said. “… A lot of these other candidates can have positions on the major issues affecting the country. I’ve actually done it. I’ve created jobs. I’ve brought renewable energy. I’ve settled some conflicts. I’ve had experience with Iraq. I know what we need to do internationally.”

Richardson also said he knows he is “not going to be competitive with the higher-tiered candidates” in fundraising, “but I will be competitive. I’ve raised money nationally.”

The top tier includes Clinton, Obama and John Edwards. Most analysts place Richardson at the top of the second tier of candidates.

After the session ends, Richardson told the Journal he will be traveling a lot, but will be “in constant phone communication. I’ll be here a lot, too. I will not neglect my duties as governor after the session.”

Richardson asked New Mexicans to support him.

“We’ve done a lot together – jobs and education, health care, we’ve improved the state,” the Journal quoted him as saying. “My interests will always be for New Mexico. If I’m elected president, I will take care of New Mexico.”

Links

You can visit Richardson’s exploratory committee home page by clicking here. The site includes a long video detailing Richardson’s take on how he has turned New Mexico around in his four years as governor.

The Albuquerque Journal began today an in-depth series on Richardson’s life. You can read Part One of the series, on his youth in Mexico and Massachusetts, by clicking here. You can read a sidebar with more depth on his Mexico days by clicking here, and another on a medical deferment that kept him from being drafted during the Vietnam War by clicking here.

You can read the Albuquerque Tribune article on Richardson’s announcement by clicking here.

You can read the Associated Press article by clicking here.

You can read the Reuters article by clicking here.

Here’s a video Richardson’s campaign posted on YouTube of the governor making his announcement (You can watch it in Spanish by clicking here):