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N.M. governor has eye on Florida

He says Florida's gubernatorial race will be important for the Democrats to win the White House.

By ADAM C. SMITH
Published March 19, 2006

As head of the Democratic Governors Association, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson sees Florida's gubernatorial race as one of the top five in the country.

"We're going to pour a lot of money in here. We're going to pour a lot of visits, polling, poll workers, campaign workers. ... The Republicans have had Florida for a long time, and we sense that Floridians want a change," Richardson said in a TV interview.

In last year's gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, the Democratic Governors Association spent $1.5-million in each state, and Richardson has a special incentive for focusing on Florida this year: A Democrat in the Governor's Mansion would be mighty helpful to his likely presidential campaign in 2008.

In an interview for Political Connections airing at 11 a.m. today on Bay News 9, he said the Florida governor's race "will be very important for Democrats winning the White House in '08." Starting Monday, the interview can be seen on Channel 340 (Tampa Bay on Demand).

In the crowded field of Democratic presidential prospects, Richardson, 58, offers a hefty resume that mixes executive and foreign policy experience. A former U.S representative, he was Bill Clinton's U.N. ambassador and energy secretary before being elected governor of New Mexico in 2002. Half Mexican, he also could help Democrats strengthen their showing among increasingly important Hispanic voters, whom he said Democrats have taken for granted for too long.

Though he's officially concentrating on his re-election campaign in New Mexico, Richardson all but acknowledged he'll run for president. He also suggested why he's a stronger candidate than New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

"I believe that she's going to be a very strong candidate ... but I believe a governor, and somebody who's had statewide CEO experience, would be a stronger candidate," said Richardson, who was in the area to headline a fundraiser for Sen. Bill Nelson.

Richardson noted that voters have elected Democratic governors in eight red states and said national Democratic leaders should promote the party's problem-solving gubernatorial leaders rather than Washington leaders.

Americans have little patience for Washington gridlock, he said, while governors are problem solvers who balance budgets, improve schools, fight crime - and make better national candidates.

His advice to Democrats in 2008: "We can't just say we're going to bring candidates that are going to be strong in the Northeast and the West Coast. ... The Democratic Party has to be more moderate, it has to deal with issues that affect people. We can't always go to the mat and say that the president's doing everything wrong. We've got to have positive alternatives."

Jeff Sadosky, a spokesman for the Florida Republican Party, brushed off Richardson's suggestion that Floridians want a change in direction, noting the tax cuts and strong job growth under Republican leadership.

"The Democrats are fundamentally ignoring and trying to hide the current situation and talk down the economy and talk down the current state of affairs in Florida if they want to make that a race," he said. "Gov. Richardson's supposed commitment to the Florida governor's race might have more to do with his own presidential aspirations in 2008 than it does to any imagined reality in 2006."

[Last modified March 19, 2006, 01:06:13]