Richardson said that North Korea wanted direct talks with the United States.

(CNN) – A day after meeting with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, two North Korean diplomats will meet Thursday with community and business leaders in the state to discuss renewable energy initiatives, the governor's office said.

Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said the governor would not be part of the briefings because he would be in Las Cruces. However, the governor will try to meet them at the Albuquerque airport before they leave, Gallegos said.

After meeting Wednesday with Kim Myong Gil and Taek Jong Ho - senior diplomats with the North Korean mission to the United Nations - Richardson said that North Korea wanted direct talks with the United States.

"I think there's a little bit of a thaw," he told CNN's American Morning on Thursday. "I think they wanted to basically send a message that they're ready to engage in a dialogue with the United States."

He had said Wednesday that North Korea believed it is owed bilateral talks with the United States after the communist government released two detained American journalists this month, and that Pyongyang did not want the six-party talks, which had been aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear program.

Senior Obama administration officials quickly rejected the notion, saying that six-party talks are still the proper venue for such a dialogue. They emphasized that Richardson was not negotiating on the president's behalf.

The administration officials said North Korea can choose one of two paths: either continued provocation by testing missiles or a more peaceful road on which they live up to previous commitments.

Richardson suggested Thursday that a compromise within six-party talks might best handle the situation. "Have some bilateral discussions with the North Koreans," he said.

"Call it all an adjunct of the six-party talks. But this is diplomacy, this is engagement, so I think both sides need to come together on some
formulation, and I think the atmosphere is a lot better to do that."

He said the North Koreans "basically said everything was on the table," in terms of what they would discuss.

The North Korean diplomats' visit comes after former President Bill Clinton traveled to North Korea to gain the release of the two detained U.S.
journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling. During the visit Clinton met with reclusive leader Kim Jong Il, whose government is under U.N. sanctions for its efforts to develop a nuclear weapons program.

"They do feel they are owed a gesture on the U.S. part," Richardson said Wednesday, adding, "I don't believe that should be the case because this was a humanitarian gesture that needed to happen."

The White House has said that Clinton was not carrying any message - written or oral - from President Barack Obama, and it described Clinton's trip as a "solely private mission to secure the release of two Americans."

Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has traveled to North Korea several times, most recently in April 2007 to secure the return of the remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean War.

He said the North Korean officials had approached him with the idea of this latest meeting.

–CNN's Ed Henry, Paul Vercammen, Elise Labott and Candy Crowley contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - White House officials are pouring cold water on North Korea's claim that it is "owed" direct talks with the Obama administration after a meeting Wednesday with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.

Senior Obama administration officials said the six-party talks are still the proper venue for such a dialogue, and the officials stressed that Richardson was not negotiating on the president's behalf.

"Our policy toward North Korea remains today as it has been - calling for the complete de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," said one of the senior administration officials. "We believe the six-party talks are the best forum for that. The bottom line is the ball is in North Korea's court."

The officials said North Korea can choose one of two paths, either continued provocation by testing missiles or a more peaceful road in which they live up to previous commitments.

SANTA FE, New Mexico (CNN) - North Korea believes it's owed bilateral talks with the United States after the communist government released two detained American journalists this month, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said Wednesday after meeting with two North Korean diplomats.

"They feel, the North Koreans, that by giving us the two American journalists that they've made an important gesture," Richardson said on CNN's "Situation Room." "And now they're saying the ball's in our court."

The visit comes on the heels of a trip to the communist nation by former President Bill Clinton to gain the release of the two journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling. During the visit Clinton met with reclusive leader Kim Jong Il, whose government is under U.N. sanctions for its efforts to develop a nuclear weapons program.

"They do feel they are owed a gesture on the U.S. part," Richardson said, adding, "I don't believe that should be the case because this was a
humanitarian gesture that needed to happen."

The North Korean diplomats felt Clinton's trip, while a humanitarian one, helped "thaw relations" and gave North Korea "international prestige,"
Richardson said.

The governor has stressed that he is not serving as a negotiator, and that he is going to relay the information from the diplomats to the White
House.

He added that the North Koreans are interested only in direct talks with U.S. officials, such as special envoy Stephen Bosworth, and has no plans to return to the six-party talks with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.

"They don't like the six-party talks, they felt that it's produced sanctions on them," Richardson said. "They want a new format - and the format they want is direct talks with the United States."

There was no immediate reaction from the Obama administration.

Administration officials had said they hoped the release of the journalists would give North Korea a face-saving opportunity to return to talks
aimed at ending its nuclear program.

Kim Myong Gil and Taek Jong Ho, senior diplomats with the North Korean mission to the United Nations, left New York on Tuesday for two days of meetings with Richardson.

Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has traveled to North Korea several times, most recently in April 2007 to secure the return of the remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean War.

He said the North Korean officials approached him with the idea of meeting.

"I detected for the first time ... a lessening of tension, some positive vibrations," Richardson said, comparing Wednesday's meeting with the many others he's engaged in with the North Koreans.

On Thursday, the two diplomats will talk with Richardson about renewable energy initiatives, Richardson aide Gilbert Gallegos said. New Mexico is a leader in the United States in exploring renewable energy technologies.

–CNN's Paul Vercammen, Elise Labott and Candy Crowley contributed to this report

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, right, will meet with diplomats from North Korea.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Two top North Korean diplomats were traveling to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to hold talks with Gov. Bill Richardson, the governor's spokesman said.

Kim Myong Gil and Taek Jong Ho, senior diplomats with the North Korean mission to the United Nations, left New York on Tuesday and are scheduled for a two-day meeting with Richardson, said a U.S. source with knowledge of the visit and a senior State Department official.

Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has traveled to North Korea several times in the past, most recently in April 2007 to secure the return of remains of U.S. soldiers killed during the Korean War.

The U.S. source with knowledge of the visit said that the North Koreans had asked Richardson for the meeting.

Richardson would listen to what the North Koreans had to say but would not do any negotiating, the source said.

Full story

In an article in an upcoming issue of New York Times Magazine, former President Clinton discusses his wife's new role as the country's top diplomat.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Bill Clinton's campaign-year resentment of President Obama is a thing of the past, according to a lengthy profile of the former president in Sunday's New York Times Magazine - but he hasn't quite come to terms with the Kennedy family's decision to back Obama over Hillary Clinton during the primary season.

Clinton reportedly has yet to make his peace with Sen. Ted Kennedy and the Massachusetts senator's niece, Caroline, over their high-profile endorsements of Barack Obama during the primaries.

The Times, also citing unnamed sources, says Clinton harbors hard feelings toward New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who held several posts in the Clinton administration but who chose to endorse Obama instead of Hillary Clinton.

The former president has adjusted to his wife's new role on the international stage. "She used to look forward to me coming home from wherever I've been," Clinton says in the magazine article. "Now I'm afraid I'll be second fiddle to whatever world leader she's just met.

Later, he added: "... We've reversed roles."

Clinton also made clear that his vast network of global contacts and knowledge of world affairs is always available to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "'If she asks, I tell her what I think,'" the former president says in the profile. "And if there's something that's going on that I feel that I have particular knowledge of, I say that.'"

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was a Democratic presidential contender in the primaries.

(CNN) - Bill Richardson's withdrawal from his commerce secretary nomination Sunday didn't just leave a major gap in the new administration, but it also sorely disappointed Latinos who view the New Mexico governor as their most prominent representative.

"We are hugely disappointed. It's a stunned community out there," said Janet Murguía, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States.

"He is a very well-recognized leader not just in the Latino community but in this country and he has a long record of public service," she said.

Full story

Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew his nomination as secretary of commerce Sunday.

(CNN) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson spoke out foir the first time since withdrawing his nomination as secretary of commerce, citing the distraction of a federal investigation into ties to a company that has done business with his state.

Speaking to reporters Monday, he said that he underestimated how long the investigation would take, calling it an "untenable delay" likely to hinder his confirmation process.

Watch: Richardson speaks out

Two Democratic officials told CNN the investigation involves a California company that won municipal bond business in New Mexico after contributing money to various Richardson causes.

In a statement released Sunday afternoon, Richardson said, "Let me say unequivocally that I and my (gubernatorial) administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact. But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process.

"Given the gravity of the economic situation the nation is facing, I could not in good conscience ask the president-elect and his administration to delay for one day the important work that needs to be done," Richardson added.

In his own statement, President-elect Barack Obama said it was "with deep regret" that he had accepted Richardson's decision to withdraw.

"Governor Richardson is an outstanding public servant and would have brought to the job of Commerce Secretary and our economic team great insights accumulated through an extraordinary career in federal and state office," Obama said.

"It is a measure of his willingness to put the nation first that he has removed himself as a candidate for the Cabinet in order to avoid any delay in filling this important economic post at this critical time."

Obama did not elaborate on picking a new nominee for secretary of commerce, saying only, "We must move quickly to fill the void left by Governor Richardson's decision (and) I look forward to his future service to our country and in my administration."

"Yesterday I was hurting over this decision. I lost a cabinet appointment," he told reporters Monday.

"But I think we have to focus on what people are losing in this country," he said, referencing heightened U.S. unemployment. "Mine is minor compared to that," he said.

Richardson did not offer details of the current investigation or the company involved, saying only that "a pending investigation of a company that has done business with New Mexico state government promises to extend for several weeks or, perhaps, even months."

He said in a statement that he will continue as governor of New Mexico.

Meanwhile, two Democratic strategists outside the transition told CNN that Obama aides pushed the withdrawal because they did not want another ethical distraction in the wake of controversy surrounding embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Federal prosecutors charge that Blagojevich had hoped to barter Obama's Senate seat for either money or influence.

One of these Democrats described Richardson as "stunned" by the sudden turn of events. But Democrats who talked with CNN noted it was in keeping with the Obama philosophy of resolving issues quickly.

New Mexico Lt. Gov. Diane Denish issued a statement Sunday, saying, "Governor Richardson postponed taking a position in the administration to ensure that President Obama and the American people face no delays in getting to work to fix our ailing economy ... In the meantime, Governor Richardson and I will work together, as we have over the last six years, to tackle challenges at home, to craft a workable budget with the legislature and to strengthen our economy to make sure that every New Mexico family has the opportunity to succeed."

Richardson, 61, is one of the best-known Hispanics in the Democratic Party, and served as energy secretary in the Clinton administration as well as ambassador to the United Nations.

– CNN's Ed Henry contributed to this report.

Gov. Richardson and President-elect Obama announced Richardson's decision to withdraw Sunday. (Getty Images/File)
(CNN) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is withdrawing his nomination as Commerce Secretary, two Democratic officials told CNN's Ed Henry on Sunday.

The Democratic officials said Richardson cited the distraction of a federal investigation into his ties to a California company that won municipal bond business in New Mexico after contributing money to various Richardson causes.

Richardson, one of the best-known Hispanics in the Democratic Party, served as the energy secretary in the Clinton administration as well as ambassador to the United Nations.

Full story

(Full statements from Obama and Richardson after the jump)

STATEMENT OF PRESIDENT ELECT BARACK OBAMA:
It is with deep regret that I accept Governor Bill Richardson's decision to withdraw his name for nomination as the next Secretary of Commerce. Governor Richardson is an outstanding public servant and would have brought to the job of Commerce Secretary and our economic team great insights accumulated through an extraordinary career in federal and state office. It is a measure of his willingness to put the nation first that he has removed himself as a candidate for the Cabinet in order to avoid any delay in filling this important economic post at this critical time. Although we must move quickly to fill the void left by Governor Richardson's decision, I look forward to his future service to our country and in my administration.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNOR BILL RICHARDSON:

For nearly three decades, I have been honored to serve my state and our nation in Congress, at the U.N., as Secretary of Energy and as governor. So when the President-elect asked me to serve as Secretary of Commerce, I felt a duty to answer the call.I felt that duty particularly because America is facing such extraordinary economic challenges. The Department of Commerce must play an important role in solving them by helping to grow the new jobs and businesses America so badly needs.

It is also because of that sense of urgency about the work of the Commerce Department that I have asked the President-elect not to move forward with my nomination at this time.I do so with great sorrow. But a pending investigation of a company that has done business with New Mexico state government promises to extend for several weeks or, perhaps, even months.

Let me say unequivocally that I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact. But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process.Given the gravity of the economic situation the nation is facing, I could not in good conscience ask the President-elect and his Administration to delay for one day the important work that needs to be done.

So, for now, I will remain in the job I love, Governor of New Mexico, and will continue to work every day, with Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish, to make a positive difference in the lives of New Mexicans. I believe she will be a terrific governor in the future.I appreciate the confidence President-elect Obama has shown in me, and value our friendship and working partnership. I told him that I am eager to serve in the future in any way he deems useful. And like all Americans, I pray for his success and the success of our beloved country.

CNN=Politics Daily is The Best Political Podcast from The Best Political Team.

(CNN) – They call him “Rahmbo.” In the latest installment of CNN=Politics Daily, Rahm Emanuel is known for his tough tactics as a power on Capitol Hill, but sources close to him say there is more to the man than meets the eye. CNN’s Alina Cho takes a closer look at the pit bull politician, Barack Obama’s new chief of staff.

Plus: Barack Obama promised healthcare reform before the economy crumbled. Can the president-elect still keep his word? CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the latest “Memo to the President.”

Also: Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden - it seems that those who ran against the president-elect get a place in his cabinet. CNN’s Frank Sesno takes a look at Obama’s team of rivals.

Finally: Congress may be in love with its new half-billion dollar Capitol Hill visitor’s center, but there is no love for the lawmakers. CNN’s Jim Acosta reports.

Click here to subscribe to CNN=Politics Daily.

The latest debate in Washington: Does Richardson look better with or without a beard?

(CNN) – Gov. Bill Richardson showed up to his press conference with President-elect Barack Obama Wednesday morning without the beard he has been sporting since dropping out of the presidential race in January, sparking his new boss to tell reporters he is "deeply disappointed with the loss of the beard."

"I'm going to answer this question about the beard," said Obama, when Richardson was asked where the facial hair went. "I think it was a mistake for him to get rid of it. I thought that whole Western, rugged look was really working for him.

"For some reason, maybe because it was scratchy when he kissed his wife, he was forced to get rid of it.," Obama continued as his nominee for commerce secretary smiled broadly. "But we're deeply disappointed with the loss of the beard."

Obama didn't let Richardson answer the question, but the New Mexico governor told Esquire Magazine in an interview posted online Wednesday that "After the campaign, I grew a beard as a rebellion against those consultants who told me I had to comb my hair, shave, lose weight. I said, You know, I’m gonna do what I want now. That was a good feeling."

Obama officially named Richardson Commerce Secretary Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – President-elect Barack Obama announced New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as his pick for secretary of commerce on Wednesday, calling him a "leading economic diplomat for America."

"I know that Bill will be an unyielding advocate for American business and American jobs, at home and around the world. And I look forward to working with him in the years ahead," Obama said at a news conference in Chicago, Illinois.

Richardson, one of the best-known Hispanics in the Democratic Party, served as the energy secretary in the Clinton administration as well as being the ambassador to the United Nations.

With the announcement, Richardson becomes the third former presidential rival to join Obama's team. Vice President-elect Joe Biden and Sen. Hillary Clinton, Obama's pick for secretary of state, also competed for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Richardson on Wednesday called it a "great honor" to be chosen for the post.

Watch Richardson describe how Commerce can push economic recovery

"There are some who speak of a team of rivals, but I've never seen it that way. Past competitors? Yes. But rivals implies something harder-edged and less forgiving. And in the worlds of diplomacy and commerce, you open markets and minds not with rivalry, but instead with partnership and innovation and hard work," Richardson said.

Full story

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is headed to Washington.

(CNN) - Bill Richardson and Janet Napolitano: Both are governors of neighboring states in the Southwest. Both are headed to Washington. But their departure is triggering very different succession scenarios in their home states.

CNN has learned that New Mexico Governor Richardson will be nominated tomorrow as President-elect Obama's Commerce Secretary. For Richardson, who was Energy Secretary and UN Ambassador under President Clinton and a former Congressman from New Mexico, it means a return to the nation's capitol.

But who takes Richardson's job?

That person would be the state's lieutenant governor, Democrat Diane Denish, who stands to become become New Mexico's first female governor. Denish was Richardson's running mate in the 2002 and 2006 elections and with the governor term-limited out of the 2010 race, was planning a gubernatorial run of her own.

While the governorship in New Mexico stays in Democratic hands, it's just the opposite in neighboring Arizona.

That state's governor, Janet Napolitano, was nominated yesterday by Obama to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security. Arizona doesn't have a lieutenant governor, so when Napolitano steps down to head to Washington, Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer — a conservative Republican - takes over the job.

Bill Richardson is expected to be named as the Secretary of Commerce, two Democrats tell CNN.

(CNN) - Two Democrats close to the transition tell CNN that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is now expected to be nominated as Secretary of Commerce by President-elect Barack Obama, pending the final vetting process.

Richardson, one of the leading Hispanics in the Democratic Party, had been seeking the Secretary of State post but lost out to Sen. Hillary Clinton. Obama aides have told CNN that Obama is “on track” to nominate Clinton as his secretary of state after Thanksgiving.

The precise timing on the announcement of Richardson’s appointment is unclear.

Two Richardson advisers said privately that Richardson had been hoping State would be his prize after facing political heat for picking Obama over Clinton, but the governor is willing to accept another post in hopes that he will move up in the Cabinet later in the administration.

Richardson served as Energy Secretary and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in the Clinton administration.

Obama’s pick will now mean that at least three former rivals from the Democratic presidential primaries will be in senior posts in the Obama administration - Richardson, Clinton and Vice President-elect Joe Biden.

After dropping out of the presidential race, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who had worked in Bill Clinton's administration, endorsed Barack Obama.

CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) - Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico is a serious contender for commerce secretary in the Obama administration, two sources close to the transition said Friday.

The same sources, however, cautioned that Richardson could be tapped for another senior post as well. They do not consider Richardson's appointment to the Commerce Department to be a done deal.

Richardson, 61, was a candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Currently in his second term as New Mexico's governor, he previously served as ambassador to the United Nations and energy secretary in the Clinton administration.

Sen. Hillary Clinton has emerged as a leading contender to be the country's top diplomat in the next administration.

(CNN) – Sen. Hillary Clinton continues to top the short list of possible contenders to be the next Secretary of State under President-elect Barack Obama.

In addition to Clinton, there are several prominent Democrats and even one Republican on CNN’s list:

SEN. JOHN KERRY: The 2004 Democratic presidential nominee has served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for almost 20 years.

DR. SUSAN RICE: A veteran of Bill Clinton’s State Department, Rice was also a senior adviser to Obama’s presidential campaign.

GOV. BILL RICHARDSON: The New Mexico governor was tapped by Bill Clinton to be U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., but Richardson broke with the Clintons when he decided to endorse Obama after ending his own 2008 presidential bid.

SEN. DICK LUGAR: The Republican, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, worked with Obama last year to expand a program that destroys weapons of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union.

SAM NUNN: The former Democratic senator from Georgia currently co-chairs an effort to reduce threats from nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. While in the Senate, Nunn worked with Lugar to destroy weapons of mass destruction amassed by the former Soviet Union.

Click here for additional CNN short lists for Obama’s potential cabinet.

(CNN) - CNN has learned that President-elect Barack Obama spoke with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson Friday to discuss the post of Secretary of State. A senior Democratic source tells CNN that Richardson’s name has always been on Obama’s list for that post. Obama has also gauged Sen. Hillary Clinton’s interest in the post if she were offered it. If Clinton does not express interest in the post, then Richardson and others would be candidates for the job.

Another source close to the Obama transition team tells CNN that among the key details to be worked out with Sen. Clinton, should she express interest in the position, are issues of how her husband, former President Bill Clinton would be able to continue his work with the Clinton Global Initiative without complicating her work as Secretary of State.

Watch Gov. Richardson discuss Sen. Lieberman's speech at the Republican convention.

(CNN) – Whatever goodwill Sen. Joe Lieberman may have still had with Democrats may be gone after his criticism of Sen. Barack Obama in an address to the Republican convention Tuesday.

"It's a little bit sad," New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson told CNN Wednesday. "I think he must be very bitter after his Senate issues with Democrats and the fact that he wasn't supported in the primaries but this is just going too far."

The Democrat-turned-independent's split from his former party has centered largely on issues of foreign policy - especially the conduct of the Iraq war, where Lieberman agrees with the views of his friend Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee.

"I don't believe that Sen. Lieberman still has credibility among Democrats," Richardson told Kiran Chetry on American Morning. "He's basically said that anybody, like myself and many others, that have opposed this war - that want to bring our troops home safely but as quickly as possible - are basically not just wrong, but unpatriotic."

Richardson also took the opportunity to take a swipe at Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the presumptive Republican VP nominee. "Foreign policy, national security experience is something that she obviously doesn't have," said Richardson, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. under President Bill Clinton. "To have a vice president without those credentials is going to be a problem."

Watch Richardson share his thoughts on the convention and other topics.

(CNN) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said he’s now comfortable with Sen. Hillary Clinton placing her name in nomination at the Democratic convention, but he admitted he was uneasy about the move at first.

“It's going to be placed in nomination in recognition of the 18 million votes that she got - her historic candidacy. But then she is going to pledge her delegates to Sen. Obama so that it's a unanimous - a unanimous election. That - that gives me comfort,” he said Sunday on CNN’s “Late Edition.”

“Until that had been worked out, I was a little uneasy about there being just a roll call without any transference of that support to Sen. Obama. But the point is the party is united.”

Last week, Barack Obama’s campaign said it encouraged Clinton to put her name in roll call "as a show of unity and in recognition of the historic race she ran and the fact that she was the first woman to compete in all of our nation's primary contests."

Clinton last month suggested that doing so could provide a "catharsis" for her supporters.

Richardson on Sunday called Clinton a “long-time friend” who “ran a great race.”

He and the New York senator were scheduled to hold two private fundraisers Sunday to help retire her campaign debt.

Things got ugly between Richardson and the Clintons after he endorsed Obama in March.

Richardson, who served as secretary of energy in Bill Clinton’s administration, said in April that he was "very close to endorsing" Clinton, but decided not to after the campaign became negative.

"The Clintons should get over this," he said in April.

His endorsement was viewed as an act of betrayal by some longtime supporters of the Clintons. CNN Political Analyst James Carville, who has long and deep ties to both Clintons, even likened Richardson’s endorsement to Judas’s betrayal of Christ.

Richardson responded to Carville’s criticisms by saying that Carville and other Clinton supporters believe they are a “dynasty” and that they were “clinging to the throne.”

Sens. Obama and Clinton appeared with Gov. Richardson at a New Hampshire debate in January.

(CNN) – Is Bill Richardson about to kiss and make up with the Clintons? It certainly looks that way.

The New Mexico governor announced Wednesday that he will host two fundraisers to help Sen. Hillary Clinton retire more than $20 million in outstanding campaign debt accumulated during her failed White House bid.

"Governor Richardson's efforts reinforce Senator Obama's commitment to unifying the Democratic Party and assisting Senator Clinton's effort to retire her campaign debt," Bill Burton, a spokesman for Barack Obama’s campaign, said in a statement released by Richardson.

Richardson, who served as secretary of energy in Bill Clinton’s administration, decided to endorse the Illinois senator, now the presumptive Democratic nominee. The move was viewed as an act of betrayal by some longtime supporters of the Clintons. CNN Political Analyst James Carville, who has long and deep ties to both Clintons, even likened Richardson’s endorsement to Judas’s betrayal of Christ.

In late April, Richardson responded to Carville’s criticisms by saying that Carville and other Clinton supporters believe they are a “dynasty” and that they were “clinging to the throne.”

WATCH: Carville, Richardson on Larry King Live

Since announcing his support for Obama, Richardson has made numerous television and campaign appearances on Obama’s behalf. He is also mentioned as a potential pick for vice president.

In the statement from Richardson, Clinton spokeswoman Kathleen Strand said, "Senator Clinton is grateful for Governor Richardson's and Senator Obama's efforts to assist with retiring her campaign debt and she is looking forward to continuing to campaign for Senator Obama and help ensure victory for Democrats throughout the country this fall."

Senator Clinton will attend both invitation-only events in New Mexico in mid-August.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

(CNN) - Sen. Barack Obama supporter Gov. Bill Richardson, D-New Mexico, attacked Sen. John McCain’s stance on offshore drilling on Sunday, calling the Arizona senator’s plan “cosmetic steps.”

“The point is that we have got to have a bipartisan comprehensive strategy and this administration, it seems Senator McCain, all they want to do is drill, drill, drill,” the former Democratic candidate told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “You can't drill your way out of the problem.”

Democrats have criticized the presumptive Republican nominee for his apparent “flip-flop” on the issue of offshore drilling. The McCain camp denies that he’s changed his position, arguing that he has always supported a state’s right to choose what happens in its coastal waters. Aides said recently that the senator voted to uphold the federal ban on ocean drilling in 2000 as a way of supporting states’ rights.

Throughout his appearance on Late Edition, Richardson frequently linked McCain’s proposal to the plan put forth by President Bush.

“The Bush administration has waited eight years to pressure OPEC and their great friends, the Saudis. When President Bush came in, he said he was going to jawbone OPEC to increase production,” the governor stated. “What is needed is not what the president and John McCain want to do, which is drill offshore. What is needed is a comprehensive strategy of fuel efficiency, 50 miles-per-gallon vehicles… mass transit. What is needed is investments in renewable energy and solar and wind,” he said.

Richardson is the latest in a string of Democrats to slam McCain’s solution for lowering gas prices. On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada called it a “cynical campaign ploy” and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, said: “It is so hard to tell what Sen. McCain’s positions are because they change so rapidly… [This] is certainly not the position he had just six months ago.”

Gov. Richardson endorsed Sen. Obama in March.

(CNN) – New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a supporter of Sen. Barack Obama, backed the Democratic Party’s new standard-bearer in a growing dust-up between the McCain and Obama camps over how to wage the war on terrorism.

Asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer whether al Qaeda suspects should be given the same rights that American citizens enjoy in U.S. courts, Richardson said he “totally” disagrees with the Bush administration’s policy of treating terrorism detainees as enemy combatants and treating them differently than defendants in typical criminal cases. “We have to protect our country from terrorists but we don’t have to be like them by abridging our own freedoms,” Richardson added.

WATCH Bill Richardson's interview from The Situation Room

The former presidential candidate, who served as Energy Secretary under President Clinton, also waded into a second dispute between the two presumptive nominees over energy policy. “In the Clinton administration, we pushed for renewable energy, for fuel efficiency. We should have pushed harder,” Richardson said. “I’m the first to say that both Republican and Democratic administrations have not come forth with a sustainable, long term energy policy,” he added.

Gov. Richardson endorsed Sen. Obama in March.

NEW YORK (CNN) – Former presidential rival turned supporter Bill Richardson will campaign this week for Barack Obama in Puerto Rico, 10 days before the Commonwealth holds its Democratic primary, a Richardson aide tells CNN.

Richardson, the governor of New Mexico and former Cabinet official, is one of the most prominent Hispanic politicians in the nation. He sought the Democratic presidential nomination, but dropped out of the race after a poor showing in the New Hampshire primary.

While Richardson served in President Bill Clinton’s Cabinet, he chose to endorse Obama over Hillary Clinton in late March. Hillary Clinton has performed better than Obama with Hispanic voters, although the latest Gallup tracking poll suggests that the Illinois senator has erased his disadvantage with that key voting bloc.

Richardson will visit the Commonwealth on Thursday.

Fifty-five pledged delegates are at stake June 1 when Puerto Rico Democrats head to the polls.

CNN will have exclusive poll data from the Puerto Rico primary.

Watch Carville and Richardson square off on Larry King Live.

(CNN) – After weeks of verbal brawling, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and James Carville spoke for the first time on CNN’s Larry King Live Wednesday night. Richardson – now a supporter of Barack Obama – called Hillary Clinton backers like Carville ‘a dynasty’ that is ‘clinging to the throne.’

The CNN contributor defended calling Richardson a ‘Judas’ in a New York Times interview after the governor announced his endorsement of Obama.

“I said it. I was quoted accurately. I was quoted in context. I thought it was an appropriate metaphor,” Carville told King. “If it would have been the Fourth of July, I would have said ‘Benedict Arnold,’” Carville said.

Richardson called Carville’s response “typical of the reaction of Clinton supporters.”

“They feel they’re a dynasty. They’re clinging to the throne,” Richardson added.

Watch Carville and Richardson clash over whether the results in the Florida and Michigan primaries should help determine the Democratic Party’s nominee, whether Obama should agree to more debates before Indiana and North Carolina vote May 6 - and whether the primary race has become so negative it’s hurting the party’s prospects in the general election.

(CNN) - Shortly after Hillary Clinton claimed a decisive victory in Pennsylvania Tuesday night, staffers for Barack Obama’s campaign sent reporters a memo in which they tried to argue once again that her win in the state had left the status quo fundamentally unchanged.

“Tonight, Hillary Clinton lost her last, best chance to make significant inroads in the pledged delegate count,” they wrote. “The only surprising result from Pennsylvania is that in a state considered tailor-made for Hillary Clinton that she was expected to win, Barack Obama was able to improve his standing among key voter groups since the Ohio primary.”

They said that Clinton’s lead over Obama with white voters had narrowed slightly, and her advantage among seniors had shrunk by nearly half - but that gap remained significant, at 24 percent. They pointed to Obama’s strength with Independent voters, a group that did not participate in Tuesday’s primary vote.

“The bottom line is that the Pennsylvania outcome does not change dynamic of this lengthy primary,” they wrote. “While there were 158 delegates at stake there, there are fully 157 up for grabs in the Indiana and North Carolina primaries on May 6.”

The Obama team had made similar arguments in the days leading up to Pennsylvania's primary, in which Clinton was favored despite being significantly outspent by the Illinois senator's campaign.

Clinton said Thursday she never said Obama can't win.

(CNN) – Hillary Clinton on Thursday disputed a report that she once told Bill Richardson she didn't think Barack Obama could win in a general election.

"I have consistently made the case that I can win because I believe I can win, and you know sometimes people draw the conclusion I'm saying somebody else can't win," she said at a Burbank, California press conference.

Pressed further if she had said Obama can't win, Clinton said, "That's a no."

Earlier Thursday, citing sources with “direct knowledge of the conversation,” ABC News reported Clinton once told Richardson, "He [Obama] cannot win, Bill. He cannot win."

UPDATE: A Hillary Clinton staffer tells reporters covering her campaign that the New York senator did not correctly hear the follow up question about whether or not she once told Bill Richardson she didn't think Barack Obama could win in a general election. The aide said Clinton thought she was being asked if she would divulge the private conversation that she had with Richardson and answered no.

Watch Bill Richardson's comments.

(CNN) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson on Wednesday sharply disputed Bill Clinton's reported claim that Richardson promised not to endorse Barack Obama's bid for the White House.

"I never did," Richardson told CNN. "I never saw [President Clinton] five times. I saw him when he watched the Super Bowl with me. We made it very clear to him that he shouldn't expect an endorsement after that meeting."

Bill Clinton's comments reportedly came during a recent meeting with some California superdelegates. The San Francisco Chronicle reported the former president got "red faced" when the subject of Richardson came up and said, "Five times to my face (Richardson) said that he would never do that."

In the interview Wednesday, Richardson acknowledged he was "very close to endorsing" Clinton, but decided not to after the campaign got "nasty."

"I held back. I waited. I felt the campaign got nasty. I heard Senator Obama; he would talk to me continuously," Richardson said.

"The Clintons should get over this," he added.

Richardson, a former U.N. Ambassador and Energy Secretary in the Clinton administration, endorsed Obama late last month.

Read more: Richardson denies promise to Clintons

Related: Watch Bill Richardson's interview on The Situation Room.

(CNN) – New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson on Wednesday sharply disputed Bill Clinton's reported claim that Richardson promised to endorse Hillary Clinton's bid for the White House.

Full story

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Richardson recently endorsed Obama despite his longstanding ties to the Clintons.
(Photo credit: AP)

(CNN) - Barack Obama supporter Gov. Bill Richardson, D-New Mexico, responded on Sunday to controversial comments by James Carville, saying that he would not "stoop to Carville's level."

Carville, a Hillary Clinton supporter and former strategist for her husband's 1992 presidential campaign, compared Richardson to the Biblical figure Judas in an interview with the New York Times last week. When later asked whether his comment was accurate, Carville made no attempt to apologize, saying that it had "the desired effect."

"I haven't gotten into the gutter on this. And you know, I'm not going to stoop to Carville's level. I barely know the guy in the first place," Richardson told Bob Scheiffer on CBS's "Face the Nation."

Carville had argued that Richardson's endorsement of the Illinois senator was an act of betrayal since the governor has a long history of political ties with her husband. Richardson disagreed.

"I think loyalty to the nation, loyalty to the party is a lot more important than personal loyalty," he said. "I owe the Clintons a lot. I served in the president's cabinet. That loyalty is to President Clinton. That doesn't mean that I'm going to for the rest of my life be in lockstep with whatever they do."

Though Richardson did not personally attack the Democratic strategist, he criticized the Clinton campaign's behavior.

"I ran against Senator Clinton. I was a presidential candidate. And what I ran against this personal venom that people like Carville and many others in the Clinton team that feel a sense of entitlement, that the presidency is theirs. "

On CNN's Late Edition, Carville acknowledged that his comment was harsh, but said that these kind of campaign spats are "powder puff stuff" compared to the general election.

"I don't think this campaign has been particularly negative. I've probably said the most negative thing in the whole campaign," he told Wolf Blitzer.

–CNN's Peter Lanier

WASHINGTON (CNN) - This week, the spirited back-and-forth between the camps of Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama led some in the Democratic Party to suggest that Clinton bow out of the race in order to unify Democrats against Sen. John McCain in the general election. The debate over whether it was time for Clinton to exit the race dominated the Sunday morning political talk show circuit.

CNN’s “Late Edition” featured a showdown between two Democratic strategists, Clinton supporter James Carville and Jamal Simmons, who backs Obama. Carville quickly downplayed any suggestion that Clinton drop out.

“The Clinton campaign has not had one one-second meeting about getting out of the race,” he told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “Calling on her to get out of the race is…going to hurt him in terms of getting votes. And it is going to make it more difficult to reconcile the party.”

Simmons responded that it’s the negativity coming from the Clinton campaign that’s tearing the Democratic Party apart. He said that Democrats “feel like Senator Clinton is fighting Barack Obama like he's a Republican and not fighting him like he's a fellow Democrat.”

On CBS’ “Face the Nation”, former presidential candidate-turned Obama supporter Bill Richardson told host Bob Schieffer that while he has no issue with Senator Clinton staying in the race, he feels an Obama nomination is inevitable. “I personally believe that Senator Obama is reaching a stage where his lead is insurmountable,” Richardson said. He later added, “[But] I don't agree with those that say that Senator Clinton needs to drop out.”

Richardson also responded to comments by Carville, who was recently quoted by the New York Times as comparing the New Mexico governor to Judas for supporting Obama. Richardson, who served in the cabinet of former President Bill Clinton, said he would not stoop to Carville's level.

ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” featured Clinton surrogate and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, who chided Obama supporters for attempting to end the nomination process before all states have their say. “It's a disgrace that the Obama forces say, he's won the popular vote so he should be the nominee,” Rendell told Stephanopoulos.

Senator John Kerry, who has endorsed Barack Obama, also spoke with Stephanopoulos.  He argued that his own experience as the Democratic presidential nominee taught him an important lesson. “This time right now is critical to us,” said Kerry. “We began four years behind George Bush, and I think every day does give John McCain an ability to organize nationally. So the sooner we resolve it, the better.”

Related: Richardson: 'I'm not going to stoop to Carville's level'

–CNN's Jessica Rummel

Richardson’s backing was sought by both the Clinton and Obama campaigns.

(CNN) – Bill Richardson criticized a Clinton campaign adviser Friday for suggesting his endorsement of Barack Obama is insignificant.

"I resent the fact that the Clinton people are now saying that my endorsement is too late because I only can help with Texans - with Texas and Hispanics, implying that that's my only value," the New Mexico governor told CNN's John King.

"That's typical of some of his advisers that kind of turned me off."Earlier Friday, Clinton campaign senior strategist Mark Penn said he thought Richardson's endorsement came too late to make an impact.

“The time that he could have been effective has long since passed," Penn told reporters on a conference call. "I don’t think it is a significant endorsement in this environment.”

In the interview Friday, Richardson also said he called Hillary Clinton Thursday to inform her of his decision to back Obama, a conversation he described as "painful."

"It was painful and it wasn't easy," he said. "I've spoken to others who have had that same conversation and they say at the end, it’s not all that pleasant.

"The former Democratic presidential candidate declined to elaborate further on his conversation with Clinton.Last month, Chris Dodd - another former presidential candidate who decided to endorse Obama last month - said he had a "not comfortable" conversation with Clinton informing her of the news.

Also in the interview Friday, Richardson said he ultimately decided to back Obama because the Illinois senator has "something special."

"I think that Sen. Obama has something special,” explained Richardson. “Something that can bring internationally America’s prestige back, that can deal with the race issue as he did so eloquently last week, that can deal with the domestic issues in a bipartisan way."

Richardson, who held posts as the Secretary of Energy and the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. in President Clinton’s administration, also said he "owes a lot to the Clinton family but I served well. I paid it back in service to the country."

Related video: Richardson on Obama endorsement

Updated 7:22 p.m. to add link to interview video

– CNN's Martina Stewart and Alex Mooney

Watch Bill Richardson endorse Obama. (AP Photo)

(CNN) - Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico endorsed Sen. Barack Obama in the Democratic race for president Friday.

"Barack Obama will make a great and historic president," Richardson told a rally in Portland, Oregon, with Obama standing at his side.

Richardson said Obama's recent speech on race in America, saying he "understands clearly that only by bringing people together, only by bridging our differences can we all succeed together as Americans."

"He appealed to the best in us ... as a Hispanic American I was particularly touched by his words," Richardson added.

Full story

Obama will receive the endorsement of former presidential rival Richardson on Friday.

(CNN) - Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico plans to endorse Sen. Barack Obama in the Democratic race for president Friday, an Obama campaign spokesperson told CNN.

Richardson plans to join Obama at a rally in Portland, Oregon, at 12:30 p.m. Friday.

In an e-mail to supporters, Richardson said Obama will be a "historic and a great president, who can bring us the change we so desperately need by bringing us together as a nation here at home and with our allies abroad."

Richardson also said in the e-mail that he was touched by Obama's recent speech on race in America, saying he "understands clearly that only by bringing people together, only by bridging our differences can we all succeed together as Americans."

Richardson is the nation's only Hispanic governor. Hispanics have tended to support Obama's rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Full story

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton hit the road in Ohio, relying on campaign surrogates to stump for them on the Sunday morning talk-shows.

The television appearances come at a critical time for both candidates as next Tuesday's key primaries in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island loom on the horizon. On CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer," Clinton supporter Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, explained why he is supporting the senator from New York.

"I'm supporting Hillary Clinton because I know she knows, understands and cares about issues that affect border communities like the one I represent."

Obama surrogate Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, also spoke to Blitzer, and defended his candidate's foreign policy experience.

"The fact is that Barack Obama comes to this race with more experience than George Bush, Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton had in foreign policy at the national level. And the fact is that he has proven that it's his judgment that is correct," Kerry said.

On "Fox News Sunday," Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, and Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, debated the idea of Clinton bowing out. Durbin, the Senate's Democratic whip, supports fellow Illinoisian Obama and said his top priority is doing what is best for the Democratic Party.

"I hope that she can understand that we need to bring our party together and prepare for a victory in November, which is the ultimate goal," Durbin said.

But Feinstein rejected the notion that it is time for Clinton to step aside, remarking "I think she should stay in the race. Her candidacy is extraordinarily important. If ever a qualified woman could hold the presidency of the United States, this is the qualified woman."

And Clinton supporter Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Indiana, spoke on CBS's "Face the Nation," trumping up her experience on national security issues.

"There is no doubt in my mind that she is prepared to be commander-in-chief at this difficult moment for our country," he said.

Former presidential candidate Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Connecticut, who just announced his endorsement of Obama on Tuesday, was already thumping for him on Sunday.

"I believe that Barack Obama is bringing a unique set of qualities to his candidacy that go far behind how many years you've served in Congress, or served as the spouse in the White House," Dodd said.

Another former Democratic presidential candidate, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, said he is "legitimately torn" between the two candidates.

Richardson's endorsement is heavily coveted. He said he is primarily concerned with beating John McCain in the general election, and feels that the Democrats have a better chance if they choose a nominee sooner than later.

"The concern that I have is the bickering that took place between those two very fine senators is going on too long," he said. He added, "I'm just worried that the tone of this campaign has gotten excessively negative, and it's going to hurt us in November."

The most heated debate of the morning took place on ABC's "This Week," where senior staffers David Axelrod with the Obama campaign and Howard Wolfson with the Clinton camp attacked each other on issues that ranged from Obama's ties to indicted Chicago real-estate developer Tony Rezko to Clinton's unreleased tax records.

The most lively moment occurred when Wolfson challenged the Obama campaign to release all information related to Rezko, who goes on trial on corruption charges on Monday.

"They should put out all of the information regarding that real-estate transaction. All of the emails, all of the correspondence, all of the letters, every single piece of information so that the public can really look at this and say 'what's going on here?' " Wolfson charged.

Axelrod responded by saying those concerns had been put to rest in the media, and "There has not one bit of evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of Senator Obama in this or any other matter."

–CNN's Peter Lanier

Watch Richardson on The Situation Room Tuesday.

(CNN) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson Tuesday suggested he may endorse a former rival in the Democratic White House race sometime this week.

In an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer set to air at 6 p.m. hour of The Situation Room, Richardson praised both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and suggested now might be the right time he publicly backs one of them.

"I may make a decision and do an endorsement," Richardson said.

Asked if the endorsement could come within the next couple of days, the New Mexico governor replied, "Possibly, yes."

Richardson, a former member of the Clinton administration, wouldn't hint at which candidate he was leaning towards, and said it's still possible he may make no endorsement.

"I'm just not trying to be cute. I just have felt that an endorsement by me, I don't think it is that significant," he said. "But I still might do it."

Both Clinton and Obama have heavily sought Richardson's backing since he dropped out of the race in January. Richardson, one of the highest ranking Hispanics in the Democratic Party, could give either candidate a boost in the Latino community ahead of Texas' primary on March 4. Latinos are expected to play a big role in that contest.

In the interview Tuesday, Richardson praised both candidates, and said the two are running a "classic race."

"Change versus experience," Richardson said of the race. "And obviously I ran on the experience mantle. It didn't work out too well. But I think they are both exceptional candidates, represent fundamental change. I think it is going to be very, very close. I don't think this race is over."

Watch the full interview with Richardson tonight on The Situation Room, 6 p.m. ET.

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Watch Bill Richardson on CNN's American Morning Monday.

(CNN) - He and Bill Clinton spent Sunday night together watching the Super Bowl, but New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said Monday he's not ready to make an endorsement in the presidential race.

"I have extremely high regard for both candidates," Richardson said on CNN's American Morning. "Last night, President Clinton and I got together to watch the Super Bowl here in New Mexico. We're two friends getting together, we enjoyed the game.

"I'm trying to decide, I have, as I said, enormous respect for both candidates," Richardson continued. "I know Sen. Clinton well. I've gotten to know Sen. Obama well. But I never felt that the endorsement of one politician towards the other makes much difference, it's how they connect with voters."

But the former presidential candidate left the door open for a possible endorsement soon, saying he was going to "focus on this in the next few days."

"I am now a free man, I can do whatever I want. I am not trying to be coy. I just want to focus on who's best for this country, who's best for America," he said.

Richardson also commented on his new appearance since exiting the campaign trail nearly a month ago.

"Since I got out of the race I've been decompressing by being a governor and growing this beard," he said. "I know it doesn't look so good, but maybe it will get better."

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– CNN Producer Alexander Mooney

Richardson served as Clinton's Energy Secretary and U.N. Ambassador.

(CNN) - CNN has learned that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will watch the Super Bowl this Sunday with former President Bill Clinton in Red River, New Mexico.

Despite the obvious implications for the much sought after endorsement of Richardson, a Hispanic who holds sway in the community, a top Democratic source describes this as "two old friends getting together, and not to be "construed as a coming endorsement."

Nonetheless, Richardson is not unaware of the power of that picture. The former president has been phoning Richardson “with regularity” since he dropped out of the Democratic presidential race.

Richardson spokesman Pahl Shipley said the office does not comment on the governor’s private schedule.

– CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley

CNN=Politics Daily is The Best Political Podcast from the Best Political Team.

Washington (CNN) - In the latest episode of CNN=Politics Daily, CNN's daily video political podcast, the dynamics of the 2008 presidential race take center stage.

Suzanne Malveaux reports on Sen. John Kerry's endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson announced Thursday that he was ending his presidential bid after disappointing results in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries. Wolf Blitzer speaks with Richardson about his decision to bow out. Dan Lothian also takes a look at the trend of more experienced candidates not faring well as well as their less experienced rivals so far in the 2008 presidential race.

Allan Chernoff reports on the mortgage crisis and how it may impact the White House race.

Will New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg join the presidential race? Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider takes a look at how Bloomberg's entry might impact the 2008 race and potentially hurt the Democratic Party's chances of retaking 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Finally, Wolf Blitzer tells you which headlines on CNN's Political Ticker are drawing the most comments from readers.

Click here to subscribe to CNN=Politics Daily.

–CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is a former congressman, ambassador and energy secretary.

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) - If experience were the only qualification, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson would be a shoo-in for president.

But with frustration with the political system running high and candidates who call for "change" enjoying success on the campaign trail, experience scores few points with voters - and, in fact, may be a liability.

Richardson, a former congressman, ambassador and Cabinet member, couldn't get any traction during his presidential run, and he announced Thursday he was dropping out of the Democratic race.

"The time has come to end my quest and come home to tackle the challenges before us in New Mexico," Richardson told cheering supporters in his state capital of Santa Fe.

In his final debate Saturday, Richardson seemed frustrated by the notion that experience was a liability.

"Look, what we need is change. There's no question. But, you know, whatever happened to experience? Is experience kind of a leper?" Richardson asked. "What is wrong with having been, like myself, 14 years in the Congress, two Cabinet positions?"

Full story

Watch Thursday's highlight's from the campaign trail.

(CNN) - Watch the candidates campaign in South Carolina Thursday.

Related: Listen to CNN Political Editor Mark Preston on the presidential race. 

Richardson officially dropped his presidential bid Thursday. (Photo Credit: AP)

(CNN) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson announced Thursday he is quitting the Democratic presidential race after fourth-place finishes in the first two contests of the 2008 election.

"Despite overwhelming financial and political odds, I am proud of the campaign we waged," he told cheering supporters in his state capital of Santa Fe.

Richardson, who served as energy secretary and ambassador to the United Nations in the Clinton administration, drew 5 percent of the vote in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary and 2 percent in last week's Iowa caucuses, far behind leading Democrats Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards.

In bowing out, he called the Democratic field "the most promising field in my lifetime" and predicted the party's eventual nominee will win the White House.

Related video: Richardson explains decision

Full story

Watch CNN's Suzanne Malveaux size up the latest news on Richardson and Bloomberg.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux takes a look at how the latest news from Bill Richardson and Michael Bloomberg may affect the presidential race.

Bill Richardson drew single digits in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will quit the race for the Democratic presidential nomination after fourth-place showings in the campaign's first contests, sources said Wednesday.

Richardson, who served as energy secretary and ambassador to the United Nations in the Clinton administration, drew 5 percent of the vote in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary and 2 percent in last week's Iowa caucuses, far behind leading Democrats Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards.

"The numbers are the reason - not enough votes and not enough money," a Democratic strategist involved in the campaign told CNN. However, "He enjoyed it and believes he made a contribution."

A second source close to Richardson confirmed the governor's plans to CNN. His campaign had no comment on the sources' accounts, but the party strategist said a public announcement was planned Thursday in New Mexico.

As of September, Richardson raised about $19 million during his White House bid and had spent about $13 million of that, according to Federal Election Commission records. A year-end report is due at the end of January.

– CNN's John King, Candy Crowley, and Mark Preston

Full story 

Watch Bill Richardson discuss his presidential campaign.

(CNN) – Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson sought to lower expectations Tuesday as New Hampshire primary voters headed to the polls.

Just a few days after he told reporters he was looking for a third-place finish in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary, the New Mexico governor told CNN’s Heidi Collins that “a respectable fourth” would also be a kind of victory for his underdog campaign. No matter where he finishes, Richardson is looking forward to Nevada’s caucuses, and to a number of western states that hold their primaries on February 5.

Watch Richardson discuss his rivals for the Democratic nomination, why he does not engage in negative campaigning, and whether he’s interested in being a vice presidential candidate.

–CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

Bill Richardson on CNN's American Morning Monday.

(CNN) - One day before the New Hampshire primary, democratic presidential contender Bill Richardson continues to tout his foreign policy experience in hopes of winning the support of New Hampshire’s undecided voters.

“What I say is, with Bill Richardson you get change and you get experience. You gotta have experience to change things. You gotta have a record. I’ve got a foreign policy record as U.N Ambassador as Energy Secretary, as a Governor,” says Richardson

Watch the entire interview with American Morning anchor John Roberts.

– CNN’s Emily Sherman

(CNN) – It’s a sprint to the finish for the presidential field in the final hours before New Hampshire’s Tuesday primary – and CNN will be there to provide complete coverage in the Granite State. If you missed CNN’s brand-new Ballot Bowl programming this weekend, you can still watch Sunday’s campaign trail highlights here:

Video: Edwards campaigns in N.H.

Video: Obama: 'In two days time'

Video: McCain on Iraq

Video: Huckabee campaigns in N.H.

Video: Romney: It's 'a critical time'

Video: Giuliani's philosophy

Video: Clinton: 'That's not change'

Video: Richardson: Race a 'marathon'

Video: New poll: the N.H. horse race

–CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

(CNN) - In a CNN interview Sunday, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson denied reports that his Iowa supporters were told to support rival Barack Obama if the New Mexico governor fared poorly in the first round of caucus voting.

“That is totally untrue. I don't know where that came out of,” Richardson told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

Iowa’s Democratic caucus rules allow supporters of candidates receiving less than 15 percent of the vote in each precinct – which means those names are eliminated from later consideration - to vote for any of the remaining presidential contenders.

Some Clinton supporters had claimed there was a deal that would send the governor’s supporters to back Obama in later voting rounds.

Barack Obama emerged as the clear winner of the Iowa’s Democratic caucuses Thursday night, garnering 38 percent of the vote. Sen. John Edwards took second with 30 percent, and Hillary Clinton came in third at 29 percent. Richardson rounded out the top four with 2 percent of the delegate vote.

On CNN’s Late Edition, the New Mexico governor dismissed claims of a deal with Obama, crediting first-time caucus voters with the Illinois senator’s win “He got a huge amount of voters participating that had never participated before. Hardly anyone anticipated that, at least the huge numbers that he brought forth. So that's why, you know, there are all of these rumors,” he said.

–CNN’s Peter Lanier and Jessica Rummel contributed to this report

(CNN) - Bill Richardson has made his extensive diplomacy experience a central theme of his campaign – but at Saturday night’s Democratic debate in New Hampshire, the former U.N. ambassador seemed to have a foreign policy flashback, promising to make “negotiations with the Soviet Union” one of his first priorities as president.

Moderator Charles Gibson had asked the candidates what they would do on the day after a nuclear weapon went off over an American city, and what they would have done to prevent it.

The Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1991.

“It was a minor slip. He clearly meant Russia,” said Richardson spokesman Tom Reynolds.

–CNN's Shirley Zilberstein

Richardson is laying off part of his campaign staff.

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) – New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has laid off campaign staffers, one day after he placed a distant fourth in the Iowa caucuses, a campaign aide confirms to CNN.

“We had an extremely large staff in Iowa, and since we have moved onto New Hampshire we have had some layoffs,” Richardson’s presidential campaign spokesman Tom Reynolds told CNN Friday.

Citing strategic political reasons, Reynolds would not say how many campaign aides were let go. He did say that no senior campaign staffers have been asked to take pay cuts.

“We have the resources we need to be competitive in the early states,” Reynolds said.

It is not unheard of for candidates who are struggling to stay in the race to trim their staffs.

Reynolds said the governor remains focused on winning the Democratic presidential nomination.

“We have a solid ground game in New Hampshire,” Reynolds said. “The smaller field is going to allow Richardson to draw greater contrasts, especially on the war in Iraq, which is going to benefit our campaign.”

–CNN Political Editor Mark Preston

Obama and Richardson chat at Sen. Tom Harkin's Steak Fry in Iowa.(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

(CNN) - CNN’s Candy Crowley reports that supporters of Bill Richardson in Iowa are now moving over to Barack Obama as their second-choice candidate - a vital designation in the Democratic caucuses. A Clinton source tells her that “The 'Richardson thing’ is real," and that Clinton supporters in the caucuses report “people are moving en masse from Richardson to Barack Obama.”

Obama supporters dispute the reports.

Earlier Thursday, word spread that Richardson caucus goers in precincts where the former New Mexico governor was not “viable” – could not meet the required 15 percent threshold - were being urged to go with Obama as their second-choice candidate.

A Richardson spokesman told CNN that “no deal was cut between the two campaigns.”

The spokesman also said that there is a “natural overlap between Richardson and Obama supporters” on such issues as the war in Iraq and bringing change to Washington.

Watch Bill Richardson on American Morning Thursday.

(CNN) - Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson touted his own foreign policy experience Thursday morning while diminishing that of his democratic rivals.

“I’m the one that is the most consistent,” says Richardson. The Iraq war “is the fundamental issue here in Iowa and so all of these candidates are now shifting to my position.”

Watch the entire interview with American Morning’s John Roberts.

–CNN's Emily Sherman