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By Hugo Gurdon
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Posted: 04/19/07 06:24 PM [ET] |
Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico is one of the most qualified contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, but that doesn’t mean he or anyone else really expects he’ll get it.
But his qualifications also fit him for the vice presidential nod, and few people would put long odds on him securing that lesser but nevertheless impressive job.
With Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) leading the field, and former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) solidly in third place, the Democratic ticket looks very likely to be led by a past or present senator. And a nominee from the Senate will want to balance the ticket with a governor.
Richardson is not just any governor, either. New Mexico is a highly competitive purple state, and the Democratic presidential nominee will want to pocket its five Electoral College seats with a minimum of fuss. Richardson would greatly boost a ticket’s chance of doing so.
He is also Hispanic, and could be expected to help bring Hispanic voters all over the country into the Democratic fold. President Bush cut into the Democratic portion of the Hispanic vote in 2004, and the blue party’s champion will do all he or she can to prevent any further slippage to the GOP.
Richardson’s qualifications are not, however, limited to the generic ones of being a Hispanic governor from a key state. He also has an impressive federal résumé.
In addition to his chief executive experience at the gubernatorial level, he has been a congressman and secretary of energy under President Clinton. So he is an experienced hand at the federal level, too.
OK, so a Democratic presidential nominee would probably give Richardson serious consideration. But does the governor want to be considered? He says he is running for the presidency, and his $6 million first-quarter fundraising would have been impressive in any cycle except the one he is competing in, in which Obama and Clinton raised four times as much as he did.
In his exclusive interview with The Hill yesterday, Richardson talked up his improved visibility and the buzz he got from his recent mission to North Korea. But he also acknowledges that he lacks the rock-star status enjoyed by his opponents.
We think he has a pretty good idea of where he is headed and is content with the prospect. He knows his party may choose him for the White House — but not for the job he says he wants. |
