Bernalillo sheriff to chair Giuliani campaign in N.M.

Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White will be the chairman of GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani’s campaign in New Mexico.

White chaired President Bush’s 2004 campaign in New Mexico.

He is one of the brightest stars among New Mexico Republicans, and is on a short list of people party insiders are mentioning as potential gubernatorial candidates in 2010. He’s popular in Bernalillo County and has star power that could easily spread around the state.

Bringing him onboard is a plus for Giuliani’s New Mexico campaign. Though he’s currently the GOP frontrunner, many in the party criticize Giuliani for being too socially liberal. He’s going to need strong endorsements in primary states to keep the lead.

Giuliani was in Albuquerque on Saturday for a fundraiser. He’s the first 2008 presidential candidate besides Gov. Bill Richardson to campaign in New Mexico.

Read the campaign’s news release about White by clicking here.