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Posted: July 6, 2007 5:26 PM
Fourth in Fund Raising, Richardson Urges Voters to Focus on Resume
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With most of the candidates besieging Iowa this last week, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was stumping hard in New Hampshire.

The Democrat participated in local Fourth of July parades and scoured the early primary state for a town that had never been visited by a presidential candidate, prompting a trip to mysteriously overlooked Marlow, N.H. There Richardson drew a crowd of about 100 on Thursday, which may not sound impressive until you know there are only 800 residents in the town.

While in Marlow, he took the opportunity to address the issue of his high-profile competitors and the recent second quarter fund-raising results.

“I worked with President Clinton, I’m very proud of him,” Richardson said. “But I feel I’m running against two giants — the president and his wife. And my point is I think we should make this decision based on qualifications, and a plan for this country, not on who can raise the most money.”

He also outlined his stance on immigration this week for voters in New Hampshire, saying he supported the process of legalization, adding more border patrols and increasing diplomacy with Mexico.

During the last three months, Richardson raised $7 million, putting him in fourth among Democratic candidates but only $2 million behind third-place contender former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C.

Richardson’s more modest fund-raising accomplishments have not slowed down the governor’s advertising efforts. According to one analysis, Richardson ranks in second place behind former Massachusetts Republican Gov. Mitt Romney in television advertising so far in the race, with 2,232 commercials aired in Iowa and New Hampshire as of June 10.

Richardson was headed south at the end of the week, with campaign stops planned in South Carolina on Friday and Saturday.