"We've had unprecedented support from the announcement," New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (A '70, F '71) told the Daily on Friday, referring to the unofficial launch of his 2008 presidential campaign.
The Tufts alum and current trustee, who formed a presidential exploratory committee last month, will try to capitalize on this support with trips to key campaigning states in the next several days.
Richardson, a Democrat, will be campaigning as an unofficial candidate - he is still in the exploratory phase - but he is completely resolved to seek his party's nomination. "I'm running. There's not going to be any doubt about it," he said.
Although some politicians, including Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) this weekend, have made their candidacies official, Richardson said he will likely wait until April to file his paperwork.
"I still have my legislature here in New Mexico that I have to deal with," he said. The body adjourns in the middle of March.
By that time Richardson will have already taken several steps to drum up support for his candidacy. This week he will travel to New Hampshire, and next week he will stop in Iowa.
Because of their early spots on the primary calendar, these states hold special importance and Richardson will be competing with several other hopefuls to win the hearts and minds of their voters.
Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) visited New Hampshire this weekend and Obama made a trip to Iowa. Both are trying to raise support for their presidential aspirations.
While in New Hampshire and Iowa, Richardson will likely emphasize what has been the focal point of his campaign: his experience, particularly with international relations.
The former congressman, who has also been an ambassador to the United Nations and served as Secretary of Energy, has engaged in several sets of high-level negotiations over the years.
Most recently, he met with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last week to discuss Sudan's humanitarian crisis.
For the next election, Richardson believes that his experience with international concerns, including conflicts in the Middle East and foreign oil dependence, will give him an edge.
"I have the most national security and energy experience to tackle these very important issues," he said.
It was on Walnut Hill, not Capitol Hill, where this interest and expertise began. "It was [during] my senior year at Tufts and my year at Fletcher that I really got into government and politics [and] international affairs," he said.
On the most prominent issue of the day - American involvement in Iraq - Richardson said that he would withdraw U.S. troops within a year and follow up with a "reconciliation conference led by the United States with the three religious groups."
"You would divide up centers of power ... divide up revenues, set boundaries, divide up the ministries of power in Iraq and in essence have a coalition government," he said.
In addition, he said the United States should cooperate with Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia and other countries "on a separate effort to provide security and reconstruction funds for Iraq."
Richardson's domestic platform supports reducing the national debt and creating more high-wage jobs and a cleaner environment, all salient issues for young voters.
"My message is ... that we shouldn't be afraid of the future, but for young people the issue of the debt and the issue of having in this country high-wage jobs [are] going to be crucial for the future," he said. "The choice here is affecting young people."
To bring young people on board, Richardson is using blogs and Web sites such as Facebook.com.
"I think they'll be major players in my campaign," he said of young adults. "So far just the response from college Dems and bloggers and young voters has been really outstanding."
This early response points to a campaign season that many say is off to an early start.
"I think it gets earlier and earlier every cycle," senior Jake Berliner, who worked at Richardson's office this summer, said. "It's not unexpected. It seems like as soon as the midterms are over somebody is running for president."
The early start means Richardson will be faced with a longer stretch of juggling his duties in New Mexico with national campaigning, a task he said he can handle.
"I have a very aggressive agenda. I know everything that's going on in state government. I can stay in both and make sure that I fulfill my obligations as governor. That's not going to be an issue," he said.
It also gives him a longer time to make a splash in the key primary states that Democratic candidates have shown a strong interest in recently.
According to Tufts Republicans President Jordan Greene, a junior, this recent rash of Democratic visits, a phenomenon not mirrored on the Republican side, is partly due to the nature of Democratic primaries.
He said that because the Democratic nominee tends to be determined earlier in the primary season than the Republican one, gaining momentum is critical for Democratic candidates.
"Being labeled a frontrunner in the Democratic primary is very important right now," he said.
But even with the competition, Berliner said the governor has what it takes to attract voters in New Hampshire and Iowa, where he said name recognition is critical.
"I think he's a fantastic retail politician and I think he has the right message for our time," Berliner said.
