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• Gov. Richardson's official site
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Tavis: New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has an impressive résumé of public service dating back to his long career in the House of Representatives. He also served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Secretary of Energy under President Bill Clinton. Tonight, though, he joins us from Albuquerque. Governor, nice to have you on, sir.

Bill Richardson: Nice to be with you, Tavis.

Tavis: Nice to have you. A lot riding on these debates Thursday night. We're a couple days, a few days away, but what does your guy, John Kerry, have to do? And I ask that against the backdrop of people saying he's a great debater, never lost a debate. Of course, they said that about Al Gore four years ago, and Bush cleaned his clock, at least in terms of style.

Richardson: The first debate of the three is the most important, Tavis, and Senator Kerry needs to hit a home run in the first debate. The topic is national security. He's got to get out there and personally connect with voters, a few little personal asides, jokes, a humanization. He is a very personable guy. That needs to come out on television. But then on the substantive side, he has to speak eloquently about terrorism, about how this should be our number one priority. He should be very firm on Iraq. He should engage the President in a discussion about what the exit strategy is, why we don't have international support, and basically, try to convey to the American people that the number one job of a president is really national security. Can this person really set forth a protection of our people and our national interests? So this first debate is key. The others are important, but he has to hit a home run in the first one.

Tavis: I'm not one who likes to throw around stats and not one who puts a lot on polls, but I was fascinated by this one, particularly given--And I'm not trying to cast aspersion on the President, but I think we all agree that the President doesn't have an image--He joked about it, in fact, at the Republican convention--doesn't have an image as a thinker, shall we say, and yet in the most recent "Time" magazine poll, 44% of Americans expect Bush to win this first debate. 32% expect Kerry to win. What do you make of those numbers? Can you explain that to me?

Richardson: Well, if there's one thing President Bush has, he's very clear. He's very firm in his convictions. A very simplistic point of view in--on public policy issues, on national security. This simplicity has brought us a lot of problems, but he communicates well in terms of where he stands. His answers are short. They're crisp. So, stylistically, I think the perception of a lot of voters is that he will do well in these debates. The way he was underestimated with Al Gore, who basically came through as somebody that was condescending, even though he was twice as knowledgeable. President Bush does convey that connection that he is somebody that is firm in his convention. This is where Senator Kerry has to be very, very clear. He can't give either/or answers. He can't give on the one hand, on the other hand, the three-handed economist. It's got to be very firm, very clear. He's got to joke a little bit. He's got to connect with the American people. That's what's going to be his big task in the first debate, where national security is-- Obviously President Bush wanted this to be the first debate 'cause he thinks it's his strength.

Tavis: I don't know that this matters, but I have a little experience in this debate thing. I went to Indiana University on a debate scholarship, and when I saw--when I saw the terms of this debate that had been negotiated by both sides, it's tragic, quite frankly, if you ask me--nobody did--to call this thing a debate. I mean, these guys can't engage each other. They can't talk to each other. They can't challenge each other. The audience can't say anything. The whole audience is made up of soft supporters of Kerry and Bush. This ain't no debate. This is a joke.

Richardson: Well, you're right, and here's where the President has an advantage. If you're the incumbent, you can kind of call the shots a little bit. I know the Kerry people wanted three debates. The Bush people didn't give it to 'em until the very end. I know that President Bush wanted the first debate to be on foreign policy, simply because I believe most people watch the first debate, then the second and third are important, but not as important as the first, so the President has an advantage. Nonetheless, undecided voters, that 10%, 15% that has not made up their mind, I am convinced, are going to look at these debates and make up their minds. This is why it's important that Senator Kerry convey not just a sense of can he be president, of substance, of accomplishment, but also a style. "Can I be comfortable with this guy?" And I believe that that's going to come through, 'cause he can come through in the living room extremely well. It's when he gets in very broad, national TV audiences that the stiffness comes out a little bit. But I do think that these are good debates for him. He beat Senator Weld badly when they were running for governor of Mass--Senate in Massachusetts. He's done well in debates, towards the end, before the Iowa and New Hampshire caucuses. So I expect this to be an important turning point for Senator Kerry.

Tavis: You are the go-to guy for the Hispanic vote on the Democratic side. George W. Bush does not take lightly the Hispanic vote. He went hard for it in Texas. He's going hard for it again this time. As the go-to guy for the Hispanic vote in America, how is Kerry going to do with Hispanic voters on November 2?

Richardson: Well, Tavis, we're working it very hard for him. The goal is to keep the Republicans from getting 40%, keep them at 35 where they were when Al Gore got 65%. What we need to do is talk to Hispanics, not just as Hispanic voters, but talk to 'em not just about immigration and civil rights, but home ownership, education, health care, jobs. That's what they care about. The mistake is made, I think, like many African-American voters, just talk to civil rights and affirmative action. The broader interests. The Hispanic community, in states like New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado--that's where I believe the Sunbelt states this election is going to be decided, because these states are very close. They have huge Hispanic populations. And the migration from the east and the west part of this country makes these states more battleground oriented, more independent voters.

Tavis: You know, this is not yet conventional wisdom. I'm not sure it will ever become conventional wisdom, but there are those who are starting to be a lot more vocal about saying that the Democratic party needs to stop wasting its time, with all due respect to my friends down south, trying to win the South, that the issues and the Southern voter makes it a very difficult terrain, a very difficult strategy for the Democrats to actually pull off. Zell Miller is a good example of that, having spoken at the Republican convention. Is the South just an area of the country that Democrats need to not put so much stake on, and try to win the west and other parts of the country?

Richardson: Well, you have to set your priorities. I do think that western states, Sunbelt states, the ones I mentioned, they're better targets of opportunity.

Tavis: Right.

Richardson: That doesn't mean, though, Tavis, you neglect the South, 'cause we've got a lot of African-American voters we want to energize for other races--Senate, governors' races there. We probably have some opportunity in Louisiana, possibly North Carolina, although I doubt it. So you never know where lightning is going to strike, and then you've got that state called Florida. It's not exactly a Southern state, but one that is probably one of the most competitive states and one of the most important states right now.

Tavis: Your state is an important state, has five electoral votes, and when they start doing the math on November 2, of course you want everything you can win, but your state is in play. What's going to happen in New Mexico?

Richardson: Well, we will take it narrowly, for two reasons. One, we won it by 366 votes last--four years ago, not exactly a landslide. But this time, we've got two factors. One, it doesn't look like Ralph Nader is going to make it on the ballot. He's been knocked off. Hopefully, we can keep it that way. The second is, as a governor, I have a good organization here. We had a good re-election. Our polls are good. We're going to use that on behalf of Senator Kerry. 45% Hispanic vote. I'm confident about New Mexico. I just want the other states to come around.

Tavis: All right. Got about a minute to go. I'm gonna ask you to complete this sentence for me. "If John Kerry blanks, if John Kerry blank, he will win November 2."

Richardson: If John Kerry wins the first debate convincingly, he will win the election. So this first debate is critical, the foreign policy debate. He's got to hit a home run.

Tavis: That much riding on it?

Richardson: That much.

Tavis: Wow. Well, you heard it from Bill Richardson. Are you going to talk to him between now and the debate? You got any advice for him, right quick?

Richardson: Well, I would say rest up a little bit. He's a workaholic. I would say take a little time off. I would say, "But study your debate. Be cerebral, but engage personally. Look good." You get that from being restful. And knock 'em dead. And we got a lot of people behind him, so we're--we're really rooting for him, but it is important, so I don't want to add to the pressure he's already under.

Tavis: We'll be watching to see if he takes your advice on Thursday night. Governor, nice to have you on. Take care, sir.

Richardson: Thank you. Thank you, Tavis.

Tavis: My pleasure. Up next on this program, the host of the "Nova" series "Origins." Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. Stay with us.