Richardson Out
After finishing fourth in both New Hampshire and Iowa, Bill Richardson is pulling out of the democratic race for president. An announcement is expected at some point today, the AP reports. His campaign never picked up more traction - an inconvenient reality for the Democratic party, which stood to benefit from a New Mexican governor in the contested West.
Richardson had one of the most wide-ranging CVs of any candidate ever to run for the presidency, bringing experience from his time in Congress, President Bill Clinton's Cabinet, in the New Mexico Statehouse as well as his unique role as a freelance diplomat.
As a Hispanic, he added to the unprecedented diversity in the Democratic field that also included a black man and a woman.
Despite his strengths, Richardson was always overshadowed by the Clinton-Obama crunch and a well-organized Edwards campaign. But while that did not buy him many votes as a candidate, it makes him an enviable endorsement. From The Fix: Should Richardson choose to endorse one of his former rivals before the Jan. 19 Nevada caucuses, he could play kingmaker -- given his western roots and his status as the lone Hispanic candidate in the field.
election 08, Richardson
