On January 10, after Governor Bill Richardson withdrew from the Presidential race, I sent an e-mail to another blogger I know, Heath Haussamen, who covers New Mexico politics, letting him know of my effort to start a grassroots movement to get Governor Richardson nominated as the Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate.
With the help of Richardson supporters in California, David Buchanan and Thom O'Shaughnessy, we've got a website up.
We've also got an online petition, which you can sign, adding your name to the growing list of people who support Bill Richardson for Vice-President.
As people who were heavily involved in Governor Richardson's campaign, David, Thom and I believe that Governor Richardson would balance the Democratic ticket no matter who is the nominee. His executive experience and foreign policy acumen make Bill Richardson a valuable partner to any future President. That he is Latino, brings a growing Democratic voting bloc more into he fold than ever before. Bill Richardson on the ticket brings Western states into play that might otherwise be a challenge.
As someone who voluntarily ran Governor Richardson's political operation in Washington state during the campaign, I saw that while not everyone supported his candidacy, more often than not people thought Richardson should be on the ticket. I've heard Obama/Richardson, Clinton/Richardson, Edwards/Richardson and all other permutations of the same combinations while traveling around my state.
I want to point out that our grassroots effort to get Bill Richardson nominated is not endorsed, supported, paid for, or otherwise a part of Governor Richardson's campaign. I've noted that if asked by Governor Richardson or his senior staff, I will take down the website and petition. That said, former Richardson campaign manager Dave Contarino was quoted in the Santa Fe New Mexican as saying, "You can't stop the people."
Please join our grassroots effort and sign our petition. As of this posting, we have 409 signatures. Be the next to sign on.