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Monday, July 21, 2008

Richardson Says N.M. Will Go Narrowly for Obama in Nov.

By Deborah Baker
Associated Press
      SANTA FE — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will win New Mexico by a narrow margin in November, Gov. Bill Richardson predicted today.
    The Democratic governor said Obama would win strong victories in northern New Mexico and the Albuquerque area and split the more conservative southern areas of the state with Republican rival John McCain.
    "My view is that Sen. Obama can carry New Mexico. He will do so narrowly," the governor said at a news conference highlighting Obama's endorsement by the League of Conservation Voters, a national environmental organization.
    New Mexico is a swing state, and the last two presidential elections have been squeakers.
    "I'm realistic. New Mexico is one of the battleground states," Richardson said.
    Obama's biggest challenge will be the conservative 2nd Congressional District in southern New Mexico, Richardson said, where he must do well in Dona Ana, Valencia and Grant counties to offset the GOP's strength in the rest of the district.
    "I'm not conceding that district. I'm saying that one'll be tough," the governor said.
    Richardson said he planned to campaign extensively for Obama across the country.
    The 2004 presidential race in New Mexico was among the closest in the country. Republican George Bush won with 49.8 percent of the vote — a 5,988-vote margin over Democratic Sen. John Kerry.
    The 2000 presidential contest was even closer, with Democrat Al Gore winning the state by 366 votes, or 48 percent of the vote to Bush's 47.8 percent.
    How close does Richardson think it could be this fall?
    "We'll take a victory by one vote," the governor replied with a laugh.

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