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Posted: December 10, 2007 10:33 AM
Richardson Pushing for Popularity in Iowa
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With less than a month to go before the Iowa caucus, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is polling solidly in fourth place in the state with 10 percent, according to a recent Associated Press/Pew Research Center poll, significantly behind third-place John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator, with 19 percent.

But that doesn’t mean Richardson is setting his sights on the next highest office. Richardson told the Des Moines Register this week he will not run for vice president if he does not win the presidential nomination. It has been widely speculated that Richardson could be targeting a VP slot in this race.

“I am not running for vice president. I am not interested in it. I am very happy with my life,” Richardson said. “I am not one of those people who if I don’t win I am going to become depressed. That is not me. I will go back and be governor of a state that I love and a job that I love, where I can get things done and where I can still do my foreign policy mission.”

On a positive note, Richardson has been endorsed by a beloved former president — albeit, a fictional one — Jed Bartlett of “The West Wing,” played by Martin Sheen.

Sheen has been doing fundraising events and originally met Richardson while working on the presidential campaign for Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., in 2004.

This week, Richardson also released a plan to deal with the global AIDS epidemic. Along with funding for prevention and treatment programs, Richardson advocated the International Monetary Fund canceling all debt for developing countries. Domestically, Richardson’s plan includes fully funding the Ryan White Program.”

Finally, with radio shock-jock Don Imus returning to the airwaves this week after controversial comments got him fired from CBS Radio, Richardson landed on Diversity Inc.’s Top 10 Imus enablers list for his comments that Imus “paid his debt” for his mistake.