Chris Cillizza over at The Fix has an intriguing post about Bill Richardson’s slow and steady progress towards the top tier of the Democratic field of presidential candidates. He’s raised a respectable amount of money, hasn’t spent it all, has a solid organization in Iowa and is polling a reasonably strong fourth both there and in New Hampshire. By dint of experience — congressman, UN ambassador, Energy Secretary, governor — Richardson is arguably the most qualified candidate in either party to be president. And he’s hispanic, which helps differentiate him from the other second-tier Democrats (Biden, Dodd, Kucinich, Gravel). The CW about Richardson is that he’s aiming for the second slot on a ticket, but that’s the rap usually accorded underdog candidates with serious resumes. While it’s hard to imagine, given Obama and Clinton’s overall strength and Edwards’ potential to win Iowa, that Richardson could end up with the nomination, these are still early days. As Cillizza says, if the campaign takes an unpredictable turn, and a frontrunner or two stumbles, Richardson might be positioned to capitalize. What do Swampland readers think of New Mexico’s governor and his campaign?
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