Richardson seeks cash as reporting deadline nears

Saturday marks the end of first-quarter fundraising for 2008 presidential candidates. Gov. Bill Richardson is making a push this week to have an impact when his campaign reports what he raised during the period.

The numbers reported next month will be analyzed by pundits to determine the health of campaigns, so the deadline is very important to second-tier candidates like Richardson. There’s a chance some second-tier candidates will drop out of the race.

Richardson began today a push to raise $500,000 before the midnight deadline on Saturday. He has a ticker on his site counting the dollars raised, and it’s currently at $25,143.

Obviously, the ticker is there to encourage donations.

“Help us send a message that we’re ready to go the distance,” a message on the Web site states.

It’s a gamble. If Richardson doesn’t reach the goal, everyone will know because the number is posted on his site’s home page.

But Richardson has always been one to gamble.