Gov. Richardson officially opens presidential run
The N.M. Democrat, a former House and cabinet member, hopes to be the first Latino president.
LOS ANGELES - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson yesterday declared himself a Democratic candidate to become the first Hispanic president of the United States - without the "rock-star" status of some of his rivals.
The former House member and cabinet secretary said his track record made him the right person to lead the country through a pivotal time. He said he would repair the "ravages" of the Bush administration, beginning with a withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq and a determination to make diplomacy the primary instrument of U.S. foreign policy.
"With pride, I hope to be the first Latino president of the United States," he said in Spanish, to cheers from many in the room.
Richardson - who represented New Mexico in Congress and served as President Bill Clinton's energy secretary and ambassador to the United Nations - made the announcement during a news conference at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel.
He played up his experience to set him apart in the field with some more famous and better-funded rivals. Among his opponents are Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama, Christopher J. Dodd and Joseph R. Biden Jr., and former Sen. John Edwards.
"Some are rock stars," Richardson said. "I am not, but I have a proven record. I'll put that record up against anyone's."
He has been running for president for months, but he had gone only as far as forming an exploratory campaign under federal election rules.
He raised $6.2 million in the first three months of the year - about a quarter of what Obama and Clinton brought in and less than half of what Edwards raised. His campaign said he would focus more on fund-raising after the first quarter.
His decision to stage a formal launch in Los Angeles was meant to highlight his Hispanic roots and his leadership of a Western state. Richardson also wanted to showcase his roots in California, the nation's most delegate-rich state, which has moved up its primary to Feb. 5.
Richardson was born in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, thanks to planning by his father. William Blaine Richardson Jr., an American banker living in Mexico City, sent his Mexican wife there to give birth to ensure there would be no questions about the child's citizenship.
