Bill Richardson

Richardson -- not charged, but not exonerated

Alex Koppelman — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:50:00 PDT

The cloud that's been hanging over New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson recently, and cost him his shot at being Commerce secretary, appeared to be lifted yesterday. That's when the Associated Press broke the news that Richardson won't face charges stemming from a federal probe of pay-to-play allegations. Now, the cloud is back.

Richardson won't face charges in federal probe

Alex Koppelman — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:01:00 PDT

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson appears to have successfully weathered the federal investigation that cost him a spot as secretary of Commerce. The Associated Press reports that Richardson and former top aides will not be charged in the investigation, which was looking into an alleged pay-for-play scheme.

Bill Clinton to the rescue

Vincent Rossmeier — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:15:00 PDT

Update: Clinton's mission was successful, and Kim Jong Il has pardoned the two journalists. See this post for more.

Will third time be the charm at Commerce?

Alex Koppelman — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:35:00 PST

President Obama struck out with his first two picks for Commerce secretary, as both New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) withdrew their nominations for the post. Now, he's reportedly hoping to do better with a fairly obscure choice -- former Washington Gov. Gary Locke.

Richardson speaks

Alex Koppelman — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:35:00 PST

One day after the sudden announcement that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's nomination to be commerce secretary was being withdrawn, Richardson offered additional details during a press conference. It did not go off without a hitch.

Richardson withdraws as commerce secretary nominee

Katharine Mieszkowski — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 10:38:00 PST

Bill Richardson, the New Mexico Governor who Barack Obama tapped to be secretary of Commerce, has withdrawn his name from nomination for the position, NBC News reports.

Obama announces Richardson nomination

Alex Koppelman — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:15:00 PST

As expected, on Wednesday morning, President-elect Barack Obama announced that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is his choice to become commerce secretary.

Report: Obama ready to announce economic team

Alex Koppelman — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:53:00 PST

NBC News is reporting that, in an effort to give the economy some badly-needed stability and reassurance, President-elect Barack Obama will announce his economic team Monday. According to Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell, Obama will make the announcement himself, and will take questions from reporters.

Awaiting Obama's top lieutenants

Walter Shapiro — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:21:00 PST

For those who dream about a high-level position in the Obama administration, these are the times that try their souls and test their psyches too. As Michael Mandelbaum, professor of American foreign policy at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, puts it archly, "If you could tap and harness all the nervous anxiety felt by all the Democratic foreign-policy wannabes, America would achieve energy independence."

A permanent Democratic majority?

Alex Koppelman — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:47:00 PST

Over the past eight years, as much of the country went firmly into either the red corner or the blue corner, New Mexico remained doggedly purple. In 2000, two of the state's three U.S. representatives were Republicans, as were its governor and one of its senators. But both houses of the state Legislature were run by Democrats, and Al Gore squeaked past George W. Bush in November, with a margin of fewer than 400 votes. Four years later, Democrat Bill Richardson won the governorship, but Bush captured New Mexico's five electoral votes, again by a small margin.

Obama in New Mexico: No Latino voter left behind

Mike Madden — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:32:00 PDT

For a few hours Thursday, Barack Obama doubled the size of this town. About 9,500 people live here, in the heart of Hispanic northern New Mexico; around midday, about 9,500 people were crammed into a historic plaza near the Rio Grande for a rally, according to campaign aides and local officials. And if Obama's strategy to win the White House through the West is going to work, his supporters are going to have to get used to pulling off that kind of turnout. It looks like New Mexico -- and its five electoral votes -- are going to go to whichever side does a better job organizing.

Coming to a Kabuki theater near you -- the search for a vice president

Walter Shapiro — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:17:00 PDT

Aside from being a horse trainer inflamed with dreams of winning the Triple Crown, there may be no job in America with greater potential rewards and greater risk of abject failure than heading a vice-presidential search team.

"Richardson has never questioned Senator Obama's electability"

Alex Koppelman — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:39:00 PDT

A spokesman for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has now officially denied claims coming from an unnamed Clinton associate that Richardson, who recently endorsed Barack Obama, told the Clintons earlier this year he believed Obama could not win the general election. The spokesman, Pahl Shipley, released a statement that reads:

Governor Richardson has never questioned Senator Obama's electability. He believes Barack Obama is the right person to lead this country and he will be America's next President.

Clinton denies she said Obama can't win

Alex Koppelman — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:43:00 PDT

At a press conference Thursday, Hillary Clinton was asked about a report that she had tried to dissuade Bill Richardson from endorsing Barack Obama by saying, "He cannot win, Bill. He cannot win."

Richardson said Obama can't beat McCain?

Alex Koppelman — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:38:00 PDT

Wednesday night, ABC News reported that Hillary and Bill Clinton have been telling Democratic superdelegates that Barack Obama cannot beat John McCain in November. ABC described one conversation specifically:

Sources with direct knowledge of the conversation between Sen. Clinton and Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., prior to the Governor's endorsement of Obama say she told him flatly, "He cannot win, Bill. He cannot win."

Rum, Romanism and James Carville

Walter Shapiro — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 04:05:00 PDT

The loose-lips rogue's gallery includes a mega-billionaire Hollywood dealmaker, a retired Air Force general, a legendary Democratic political consultant, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Kennedy School professor, the former Iowa Democratic chairman, an African-American billionaire businessman, the husband of a popular two-term former Democratic governor and a history-making feminist political icon. Even without their names (which range from David Geffen to Geraldine Ferraro), any hardcore cable news viewer or insatiable political Web surfer probably recognizes them instantly. They are the Chastised Eight, all campaign surrogates guilty in the court of public opinion of shouting (or writing) fighting words on the fringes of the Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton presidential brawl.

Report: Richardson to endorse Obama

Alex Koppelman — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 06:23:00 PDT

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will endorse Barack Obama at a press conference in Oregon Friday, the Associated Press reports. According to the AP, Richardson -- who was himself in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination earlier this year -- will release a statement in which he says of Obama:

I believe he is the kind of once-in-a-lifetime leader that can bring our nation together and restore America's moral leadership in the world. As a presidential candidate, I know full well Sen. Obama's unique moral ability to inspire the American people to confront our urgent challenges at home and abroad in a spirit of bipartisanship and reconciliation.

A day later, New Mexico too close to call

Alex Koppelman — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:18:00 PST

It's the day after New Mexico's Democratic presidential caucuses, and yet the only thing we know about the status of the race there is that Bill Richardson -- the state's governor, who was a presidential candidate earlier in the cycle -- is suddenly sporting what Salon's New York office has collectively determined to be the best political beard ever.

Pulling out the big guns

Alex Koppelman — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:51:00 PST

Pop quiz, hotshot: With two days left before what could be the most important single day in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, to whom do you turn for that all-important last push, especially in a key state?

Richardson quits the race

Tim Grieve — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:16:00 PST

Bill Richardson, who sometimes seemed to be running to be Hillary Clinton's vice-presidential nominee, ended his presidential bid today after finishing fourth in both Iowa and New Hampshire.