Bill Richardson presidential campaign, 2008
Encyclopedia
On January 21, 2007, New Mexico
Governor Bill Richardson announced his candidacy for President of the United States
on ABC
's This Week
with George Stephanopoulos
, by virtue of forming a presidential exploratory committee.
Richardson, who is of Hispanic
descent, joined a diverse field for the Democratic nomination, which already included an African American in Senator Barack Obama
of Illinois
and a female in Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
of New York
. He withdrew from the race on January 10, 2008 after only placing fourth in the Iowa
and New Hampshire
primaries, the first two of the season.
reported that Richardson informed party leaders that he intended to run in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. In early December 2006 Fox News
claimed that Richardson told DNC
leaders he would run for President, but Richardson said he would actually wait to decide in January 2007.
.
Although already campaigning for months before, Governor Richardson formally announced his candidacy on May 21, 2007 in Los Angeles
,
saying, "The United States faces huge challenges, but also huge opportunities. I am running for President because these times call for a leader with a proven track record, and a demonstrated ability to bring people together to tackle our problems at home and abroad, I am that person, not because I say so, but because of what I have done, and what I can do for the American people."
On March 4, 2007, while attending a campaign breakfast event in Des Moines, Iowa
, Richardson said he believed that the Democratic contest will be decided very early — by the end of January 2008 after the first four state contests (Iowa, Nevada
, New Hampshire, and South Carolina
). "I believe the first four states, with Iowa and New Hampshire being the top ones, will determine who the president is. I always felt that way. What the pundits say about who's in, who's out, who's got the most money doesn't matter. I have a sustained plan to introduce myself to the voters ... and so far I feel very satisfied. I feel I can do very well."
The Bill Richardson for President Exploratory Committee raised $6.3 million in the first quarter of 2007. As of April 1, 2007, the campaign had $5 million cash on hand. This was the fifth highest amount raised among the eight candidates for the 2008 Democratic nomination.
As part of a diplomatic mission, Richardson traveled to North Korea
in early April 2007 for meetings with government officials and successfully recovered the remains of six U.S. servicemen in that country. After this visit he was criticized by journalist Claudia Rosett
for agreeing to a tour of the captured U.S. naval ship U.S.S. Pueblo; Richardson had said after the tour that it was "a lot of propaganda, but we're guests here."
With the early departure of Governor Tom Vilsack
of Iowa, Richardson became the only candidate in the race for the Democratic nomination with executive experience, a characteristic that he believed would attract Iowa voters. After beginning the race with one percent in most national polls, he began rising to some degree, reaching five percent in three polls conducted in late February 2007, and in so doing, separating himself from other 'second tier' candidates. He was named the "candidate most likely to become a serious contender." Similarly, he began to rise in polls of the early primary and caucus states; a Nevada poll had Richardson with 6%. He also rose to ten percent in New Hampshire, only five points behind John Edwards.
By November 2007, Richardson was still struggling to escape the second tier of Democratic candidates, although upticks in his poll numbers in first-voting Iowa and New Hampshire led to speculation that he might be able to overtake stalled third-place runner John Edwards
, especially in the latter state.
On March 21, 2008, the Associated Press reported that Richardson would endorse Barack Obama for president. Richardson endorsed Obama, calling him "a once in a lifetime leader". Commentator and Clinton ally James Carville
famously compared Richardson to Judas Iscariot
for the move. Richardson responded in a Washington Post article, feeling "compelled to defend [himself] against character assassination and baseless allegations."
, New Hampshire
, and Nevada
, Richardson continued to barely register on polling data. Richardson only competed in the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire primary due to his withdrawal prior to Caucuses in Nevada
.
and Joe Biden
. However, Richardson's support fell throughout November and December and by late December, Richardson was fighting with Biden for 4th place in Iowa (both polled between 4%-7% in Dec.)
Ultimately, however, Richardson's support, like the support of most other candidacies other than Clinton, Obama, and Edwards, collapsed in Iowa. On Caucus Night, Richardson beat Biden for fourth, but finished with 5,278 State Delegates, or 2% of the vote, and received no delegates to the DNC.
who was polling around 14%-15% in late Dec. However, similar to his Iowa Campaign, Richardson's New Hampshire campaign collapsed on Primary Night. When all of the votes were counted, Richardson placed fourth with 13,269 votes of 5% of the vote compared with Edwards's 17%, Obama's 37%, and Clinton's 39%.
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
Governor Bill Richardson announced his candidacy for President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's This Week
This Week (ABC TV series)
This Week is ABC's Sunday morning political affairs program.The Sunday morning talk show has aired on Sunday mornings on ABC since 1981; the program is initially aired at 9:00 AM ET, although many stations air the program later, especially those in other time zones...
with George Stephanopoulos
George Stephanopoulos
George Robert Stephanopoulos is an American television journalist and a former political advisor.Stephanopoulos is most well known as the chief political correspondent for ABC News – the news division of the broadcast television network ABC – and a co-anchor of ABC News's morning news...
, by virtue of forming a presidential exploratory committee.
Richardson, who is of Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
descent, joined a diverse field for the Democratic nomination, which already included an African American in Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and a female in Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He withdrew from the race on January 10, 2008 after only placing fourth in the Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
primaries, the first two of the season.
Leading up to announcement
In 2006, the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported that Richardson informed party leaders that he intended to run in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. In early December 2006 Fox News
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
claimed that Richardson told DNC
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
leaders he would run for President, but Richardson said he would actually wait to decide in January 2007.
Announcement
On January 21, 2007, Richardson told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week that he was launching a Presidential Exploratory Committee, his first official step of seeking the 2008 Democratic party nomination2008 Democratic National Convention
The United States 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. The convention was held in Denver,...
.
Although already campaigning for months before, Governor Richardson formally announced his candidacy on May 21, 2007 in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
,
saying, "The United States faces huge challenges, but also huge opportunities. I am running for President because these times call for a leader with a proven track record, and a demonstrated ability to bring people together to tackle our problems at home and abroad, I am that person, not because I say so, but because of what I have done, and what I can do for the American people."
First half 2007
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, Richardson said he believed that the Democratic contest will be decided very early — by the end of January 2008 after the first four state contests (Iowa, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, New Hampshire, and South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
). "I believe the first four states, with Iowa and New Hampshire being the top ones, will determine who the president is. I always felt that way. What the pundits say about who's in, who's out, who's got the most money doesn't matter. I have a sustained plan to introduce myself to the voters ... and so far I feel very satisfied. I feel I can do very well."
The Bill Richardson for President Exploratory Committee raised $6.3 million in the first quarter of 2007. As of April 1, 2007, the campaign had $5 million cash on hand. This was the fifth highest amount raised among the eight candidates for the 2008 Democratic nomination.
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
in early April 2007 for meetings with government officials and successfully recovered the remains of six U.S. servicemen in that country. After this visit he was criticized by journalist Claudia Rosett
Claudia Rosett
Claudia Rosett is an American writer and journalist. She is journalist-in-residence at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a policy institute based in Washington, D.C. A former staff writer for The Wall Street Journal, she writes a weekly column for Forbes, blogs for Pajamas Media, and...
for agreeing to a tour of the captured U.S. naval ship U.S.S. Pueblo; Richardson had said after the tour that it was "a lot of propaganda, but we're guests here."
With the early departure of Governor Tom Vilsack
Tom Vilsack
Thomas James "Tom" Vilsack is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and presently the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. He served as the 40th Governor of the state of Iowa. He was first elected in 1998 and re-elected to a second four-year term in 2002...
of Iowa, Richardson became the only candidate in the race for the Democratic nomination with executive experience, a characteristic that he believed would attract Iowa voters. After beginning the race with one percent in most national polls, he began rising to some degree, reaching five percent in three polls conducted in late February 2007, and in so doing, separating himself from other 'second tier' candidates. He was named the "candidate most likely to become a serious contender." Similarly, he began to rise in polls of the early primary and caucus states; a Nevada poll had Richardson with 6%. He also rose to ten percent in New Hampshire, only five points behind John Edwards.
Second half 2007
By August 12, 2007, Richardson had $7 million of campaign funds on hand, placing him with the fourth highest amount.By November 2007, Richardson was still struggling to escape the second tier of Democratic candidates, although upticks in his poll numbers in first-voting Iowa and New Hampshire led to speculation that he might be able to overtake stalled third-place runner John Edwards
John Edwards
Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
, especially in the latter state.
Withdrawal
On Wednesday, January 9, 2008, it was reported that Richardson would announce his withdrawal from the 2008 presidential race on Thursday. He officially announced his withdrawal on January 10 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time.Endorsement
James Carville
Chester James Carville, Jr. is an American political consultant, commentator, educator, actor, attorney, media personality, and prominent liberal pundit. Carville gained national attention for his work as the lead strategist of the successful presidential campaign of then-Arkansas governor Bill...
famously compared Richardson to Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
for the move. Richardson responded in a Washington Post article, feeling "compelled to defend [himself] against character assassination and baseless allegations."
Debt and Campaign Refunds
It was reported on March 25, 2008 that Governor Bill Richardson's presidential campaign refunded nearly $789,000. However, his campaign's bank account shows a balance of only $40,939. With a debt of $420,848, Richardson must now find a way to refund company executives, state lobbyists, and other various campaign donors with new, freshly raised funds. There is no report on what the donated money was spent on.Primaries and Caucuses
Throughout the primaries and caucuses, Richardson lagged behind fellow democrats in polling data. Despite heavily campaigning in early states such as IowaIowa Democratic caucuses, 2008
The Iowa Democratic Presidential Caucus occurred on January 3, 2008, and was the state caucuses of the Iowa Democratic Party. It was the first election for the Democrats of the 2008 presidential election. Also referred to as "the First in the Nation Caucus," it was the first election of the primary...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire Democratic primary, 2008
The 2008 New Hampshire Democratic primary on January 8, 2008 was the first primary in the United States in 2008. Its purpose was to determine the number of delegates from New Hampshire that would represent a certain candidate at the National Convention. In a primary, members of a political party—in...
, and Nevada
Nevada Democratic caucuses, 2008
The Nevada Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on January 19, 2008 after having been moved from a later date by the Nevada Democratic Party...
, Richardson continued to barely register on polling data. Richardson only competed in the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire primary due to his withdrawal prior to Caucuses in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.
Iowa Caucuses
When Richardson first began his campaign, his Iowa poll numbers shot up considerably. By early September, Richardson was polling between 10%-12%. Despite polling lower than Clinton, Edwards, or Obama, Richardson's polling in September far exceeded the fellow insurgent candidacies of Chris Dodd, Dennis KucinichDennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections....
and Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
. However, Richardson's support fell throughout November and December and by late December, Richardson was fighting with Biden for 4th place in Iowa (both polled between 4%-7% in Dec.)
Ultimately, however, Richardson's support, like the support of most other candidacies other than Clinton, Obama, and Edwards, collapsed in Iowa. On Caucus Night, Richardson beat Biden for fourth, but finished with 5,278 State Delegates, or 2% of the vote, and received no delegates to the DNC.
New Hampshire Primary
Much like Iowa, Richardson started off the New Hampshire campaign with promise. By late December Richardson was polling with 11%, fighting with John EdwardsJohn Edwards
Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
who was polling around 14%-15% in late Dec. However, similar to his Iowa Campaign, Richardson's New Hampshire campaign collapsed on Primary Night. When all of the votes were counted, Richardson placed fourth with 13,269 votes of 5% of the vote compared with Edwards's 17%, Obama's 37%, and Clinton's 39%.
Endorsements
List of individuals endorsing Bill Richardson for President in 2008 |
|---|
Richardson's endorsers include:
|
External links
- FEC — Bill Richardson campaign finance disclosure
- Santa Fe New Mexican News: Info on Debt and Campaign Refunds
- OnTheIssues — Bill Richardson issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Bill Richardson campaign contributions (President)
- Project Vote Smart — Governor Bill Richardson (NM) includes bio, campaign finances, voting record, issue positions
- USAElectionPolls — Bill Richardson Poll Results summarized presidential election polls