Richardson Joins Obama’s Call for Unity

Gov. Bill Richardson’s surprise endorsement Friday gave Sen. Barack Obama one more superdelegate vote at the Democratic National Convention.

The sanction by a prominent Hispanic politician with foreign policy experience also provided a lift to an Obama presidential campaign locked in a sniping intra-party battle — one in which neither the Illinois senator nor New York Sen. Hillary Clinton has been able to clinch the nomination.

"My affection and admiration for Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton will never waver," declared Richardson, a former Clinton cabinet member. "It is time, however, for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and to prepare for the tough fight we will face against John McCain in the fall."

But Richardson’s support for Obama — first announced in an early- morning mass e-mail and widely discussed throughout the following news cycle — apparently had no immediate effect on other "unpledged" delegates in New Mexico, where Democratic voters narrowly tilted toward Clinton in February caucuses.

"I don’t think the governor takes anyone with him on this," Albuquerque Mayor Martin Ch vez said. " I think the governor takes himself. I think what’s going on here is Bill is taking care of Bill. This is all about Bill."

The move fueled speculation that the endorsement by the politically ambitious governor — who spent much of the past year waging his own campaign for the White House before dropping out in early January — indicates he might be angling for a high position in an Obama administration. Richardson denies that notion.

"I think he’s sent a signal to Barack Obama that he’d be a great vice president," said Lonna Atkeson, a political science professor at The University of New Mexico. "He would bring a lot to the ticket — statesmanship, experience. These are areas in which Obama needs help."

Mayor Ch vez, while not saying that Richardson endorsed Obama in order to get a White House job, said, "I don’t think there’s much secret the governor likes Washington."

Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia Center for Politics said in an e-mail to a reporter: "No doubt Obama will remember that Richardson has won the enmity of the Clintons with this endorsement. … I don’t know what Richardson would get, but it’s not impossible that he could be the (vice president), or the secretary of state."

Asked in a Friday evening interview at the state Capitol whether he had discussed a possible government role with Obama, Richardson answered with a quick "No." He said the issue only came up when he and Obama appeared at a news conference following a rally in Portland, Ore., earlier in the day.

Media splash

In his public declarations of support for Obama, Richardson called him a "once-in-a-lifetime" leader.

"It is now time for a new generation of leadership to lead America forward," he said. "Barack Obama will be a historic and a great president, who can bring us the change we so desperately need by bringing us together as a nation here at home and with our allies abroad."

Citing Obama’s speech this week on race relations, Richardson praised Obama, who is seeking to become the first black elected to the White House, for "rejecting the politics of race against race."

Richardson, who for weeks parried questions about his endorsement plans by questioning their importance, said he decided last week but wasn’t able to schedule an appearance with Obama before Friday.

Brian Sanderoff, who owns and operates Research & Polling Inc. in Albuquerque, said Friday that the biggest impact of the Richardson endorsement is "a one-or-two-day national news splash" following what Sanderoff and others say was a bad news week for Obama. The candidate has been criticized for controversial sermons by his Chicago minister Jeremiah Wright.

"Barack had a bad week and needed something to stop Hillary’s momentum," Sanderoff said. "So if Obama can get a good media splash, that will help him."

Sabato agreed. "This was the first positive news Obama has had in quite a while," he said. "His image has been battered lately, and Richardson allowed Obama to change the subject."

Richardson’s support had been hotly pursued by both Obama and Clinton. On the Sunday before New Mexico’s presidential caucus, Richardson hosted Bill Clinton at the governor’s mansion to watch the Super Bowl.

Richardson told CNN that on Thursday night he had a "painful conversation" with Hillary Clinton. "I owe a lot to Senator Clinton and to President Clinton, to the Clinton family," he told CNN. "But I served well. I paid it back in service to the country."

Swaying support

In interviews Friday, several New Mexico superdelegates — unpledged delegates chosen because of their party leadership positions — said Richardson’s endorsement won’t convince them to follow suit.

"I’m going to stick with Hillary unless she’s not the nominee," Lt. Gov. Diane Denish said. Christine Trujillo, a Democratic national committeewoman, said, "My commitment to Hillary is my own. She’s the most qualified to lead the country."

A spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., who is running for the U.S. Senate, issued a statement that said "Gov. Richardson is an asset to any candidate he supports." But Marissa Padilla added, "Tom Udall believes that once the primaries are over, unpledged delegates, like himself, can play an important roll in unifying the party, and he’s going to remain uncommitted."

A spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M. — who has yet to endorse anyone — said Friday that the Richardson endorsement won’t affect how Bingaman casts his superdelegate vote. "He wants to see how the campaigns conduct themselves and how it plays out," said Jude McCartin. "I’m pretty sure he’ll make a decision by early June. He’s said he wants to do it before the convention in August."

State Democratic Party chairman Brian Coln said, "I respect the governor’s choice a great deal, but I have yet to make (an endorsement)." Coln said he agreed with Richardson’s statements that the party should be united against McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee.

Of the other superdelegates, state party vice chairwoman Annadelle Sanchez, national committeewoman Mary Gail Gwaltney and national committeeman Raymond Sanchez have expressed support for Clinton.

Former U.S. senator and Democratic National Committee Chairman Fred Harris is supporting Obama. One superdelegate is yet to be chosen by the state party.

The state Democratic delegation to the party’s August convention in Denver also will include 26 delegates whose votes are bound by the results of the Feb. 5 caucus — 14 for Clinton and 12 for Obama.

Ch vez noted Friday that Richardson previously had said that superdelegates should reflect their constituents, "and in New Mexico we supported Senator Clinton."

Richardson in a February interview with the New York Times was asked about how superdelegates should decide to cast their vote. "It should reflect the vote of my state," Richardson replied. "It should represent the vote of my constituency. It shouldn’t be because you’re a fundraiser or a big-shot delegate. Superdelegates should reflect their state or constituency. If superdelegates decide this nomination, it’s going to look like big-shot politicians and fat- cats decided who should be president."

Richardson on Friday told The New Mexican, "Senator Clinton did win New Mexico, but only by about a half of a percent."

The Hispanic vote

Sanderoff said Richardson’s endorsement at this point in the campaign won’t have much effect on the Hispanic vote — which so far has gone in big numbers to Clinton. "Most the states where the Hispanic vote is a big factor — California, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada — have already held their primaries and caucuses," he said.

Obama narrowly lost an early March primary in Texas in large part because Clinton ran strongly among Hispanics.

Sabato, however, said Richardson could help Obama in Puerto Rico, which holds a primary in June with 55 pledged delegates and seven superdelegates at stake.

The Clinton campaign was publicly dismissive of Richardson’s announcement. The Associated Press said senior Clinton strategist Mark Penn referred to Clinton’s New Mexico victory and said, "Perhaps the time when he could have been most effective has long since past."

Republicans, both state and national, issued their own reaction statements.

"It is no secret that Barack Obama is determined to follow the Bill Richardson model of sitting down with hostile foreign dictators," Republican National Committee spokesman Paul Lindsay said. "No one could confuse the resumes of Obama and Richardson, but their shared affinity for meeting with America’s enemies is a troubling reminder of why neither politician is qualified for higher office."

Adam Feldman, executive director of the New Mexico GOP, said "Gov. Richardson’s endorsement will not be able to hide the fact that Sen. Obama is the most liberal senator in America whose views are drastically out of step with mainstream New Mexico values."

Wire services contributed to this story.