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Bill Richardson Withdraws Bid For Commerce Secretary
Gov. Bill Richardson has officially withdrawn himself from consideration to be commerce secretary in the new Obama administration due to the ongoing investigation into how some of his political donors won a lucrative state contract in New Mexico.
A federal grand jury is investigating how a California company that contributed to Richardson’s political activities won a New Mexico transportation contract worth more than $1 million. Richardson said in a statement issued by the Obama transition office that the investigation could take weeks or months but expressed confidence it will show he and his administration acted properly.
President-Elect Obama said he accepted Richardson’s withdrawal with “deep regret.”
Bill Richardson Drops Out Of Presidential Race
From the AP:
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson ended his campaign for the presidency Wednesday after twin fourth-place finishes that showed his impressive credentials could not compete with his rivals’ star power.
Richardson planned to announce the decision Thursday, according to two people close to the governor with knowledge of the decision. They spoke on a condition of anonymity in advance of the governor’s announcement.
The Richardson campaign would not comment on the governor’s decision, reached after a meeting with his top advisers Wednesday in New Mexico.
Prior to Richardson’s bid for the Presidency I thought he would probably be a good candidate. I was surprised after his campaign began how out of touch and naive many of his positions were.
From actually having been a diplomat, I was especially surprised how ridiculous most of his foreign policy ideas were.
-Chris Jones
