Richardson Says He's Running for President, not Senate
By Nedra Pickler/
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Democrat Bill Richardson said today that he's not giving up his presidential bid to run for a Senate seat that has opened in his home state of New Mexico.
"I am not running for the Senate. I'm running for president," Richardson said in a brief phone interview with The Associated Press.
The governor and his campaign advisers did not rule out a Senate race if he does not win the Democratic presidential nomination. "Right now," said his spokesman Tom Reynolds, "we're 100 percent committed to running for the White House."
Republican Sen. Pete Domenici planned to announce Thursday in Albuquerque that he will retire at the end of his term in January 2009. The 75-year-old, who has served six terms, said he has a progressive disease that can cause brain dysfunction and eventually make him incapable of serving.
If Richardson were to run to replace Domenici, it could give Democrats their best shot of picking up the seat. Richardson is popular in the swing state, having won a second term last year with 69 percent of the vote, and he would be forced from the governorship by term limits in 2010.
Richardson has time to make a decision. The filing deadline for the Senate seat is Feb. 12, 2008, after nominating contests in more than half the states will determine whether he still has a shot at winning his party's nod.
The question is how long he can delay a decision with other Democrats trying to decide whether to run. And even if his presidential hopes don't work out, running for a competitive Senate seat could rule out a vice presidential nomination or a Cabinet position.
Richardson has been overshadowed in the presidential race by Democratic rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards. But he has moved up in polls of voters in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire and recently has been taking a more aggressive stance against his rivals, particularly on Iraq.
During a speech at Georgetown University Thursday, Richardson criticized Clinton, Obama and Edwards for failing to say when they will bring all troops out of Iraq. All three have said they will end the war but leave an undetermined number of troops in the country.
"That is changing the mission, not ending the war," Richardson said.
"What my colleagues are suggesting — a slow, protracted exit — will only multiply the casualties and delay political progress," he said.
After his formal remarks, the governor took questions from students, including one who asked if he would accept any of his rivals' invitation to be vice president after being so critical of them. Richardson responded that he's not being critical and simply pointing out policy differences. Plus, he added to laughter and applause, "I'm going to win this nomination."
Richardson declined to talk to reporters after the speech, out of character for the media-friendly candidate.
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