Lt. Gov. Diane Denish doesn’t appear to have given up on the idea of becoming governor of New Mexico before the 2010 election.
Pointing out that President-elect Barack Obama says he looks forward to Bill Richardson’s “future service to our country and in my administration,” Denish is characterizing Richardson’s withdrawal of his commerce secretary nomination as a postponement of his leaving New Mexico to take a job in Washington.
“Gov. Richardson postponed taking a position in the administration to ensure that President Obama and the American people face no delays in getting to work to fix our ailing economy, and the president-elect said he looks forward to Gov. Richardson joining his administration in the days ahead,” Denish said in a statement released by her office. “In the meantime, Gov. Richardson and I will work together, as we have over the last six years, to tackle challenges at home, to craft a workable budget with the Legislature and to strengthen our economy to make sure that every New Mexico family has the opportunity to succeed.”
Denish, who is already a declared candidate for governor in 2010, spoke with Richardson this morning about his decision, according to the statement.
In statements they released today, Richardson and Obama both characterized Richardson’s withdrawal from consideration for the position as being Richardson’s decision. In addition to saying he looks forward to Richardson joining his administration at a later time, Obama said the move is “a measure of (Richardson’s) willingness to put the nation first” because it will prevent “any delay in filling this important economic post at this critical time.”
In his statement, Richardson said he’s confident the grand jury currently investigating allegations of pay-to-play in his administration — which led to his decision to withdraw his nomination — will clear him and his administration. He added that, “for now,” he will remain governor, but said he told Obama that he is “eager to serve in the future in any way he deems useful.”