Bill Richardson,
the high-profile Democratic governor of New Mexico, took
the first step Sunday toward an expected White House run in
2008. Speaking to the Associated Press, Richardson
promoted his extensive experience in Washington and
on the world political stage; if elected, he
would be the first Hispanic president.
"What this
country needs is bipartisanship and to bring back
civility" in government, Richardson said.
"I've had cabinet experience. I've been
U.N. ambassador. I've actually done what a lot
of candidates give speeches on." Richardson was
Energy Department secretary under former president
Bill Clinton.
Richardson joins
a crowded and groundbreakingly diverse field of
presidential contenders in a fast-developing campaign. On
Saturday, New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
declared her intention to be the first female
president. "It'll be a great contest with a lot of
talented people, and I'm very
confident," she said. "I'm in,
I'm in it to win, and that's what I
intend to do," she said, according to the AP.
Clinton's
announcement, while widely anticipated, was nonetheless
historic in a fast-developing political race. Last week,
Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois jumped in; he is a
formidable contender who would be the first black
commander in chief.
Other Democratic
contenders include former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack;
Connecticut senator Chris Dodd; Ohio representative Dennis
Kucinich; and former North Carolina senator John
Edwards, the party's 2004 vice presidential nominee.
Delaware senator Joe Biden has said he will run and
planned to formalize his intentions soon. Massachusetts
senator John Kerry, the party's 2004
standard-bearer, is also contemplating another run.
Saturday saw the
entry of another contender for the Republican
nomination as Kansas senator Sam Brownback joined the 2008
U.S. presidential race. An antigay favorite of the
religious right, Brownback calls himself a
"full-scale Ronald Reagan conservative."
"I am a conservative, and I'm proud of being a
conservative," the AP quoted him as saying on
Saturday. (The Advocate)
