Bill Richardson is endorsing Barack Obama. His motivation may have been this charming little anecdote, it may have been a true affection for Obama (Richardson was reportedly very impressed by BHO’s speech on race), or it may have just been an acknowledgment that the electoral math is so heavily in Obama’s favor that it is time for the Democrats to move on to the general. Supporting that final theory is something Richardson wrote in an email to supporters. It is time, he said, “for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and to prepare for the tough fight we will face against John McCain in the fall.”
As the nation’s only Hispanic governor, Richardson could have been a big help to Obama in Southwestern states. Problem is, there are none left on the primary calender. The closest thing is Oregon, which is where Richardson endorsed Obama today.
In fact, John Murtha’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton from earlier this week probably means more. Murtha is a long-time Pennsylvania congressman with a specialization in national security, one of the campaign’s current hot-button issues. If voters in the upcoming Keystone Primary are going to be swayed by anyone, it’s Murtha.
That said, it’s possible that both endorsements are irrelevant. I’ve argued as much in the past.
