Richardson to hold fundraisers for Sen. Clinton
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7/30/2008 - 7/30/08
Gov. Bill Richardson, labeled a traitor by some in the camp of Hillary Rodham Clinton when he endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, will hold two fundraisers to help Clinton pay off her presidential campaign debt.The invitation-only events are scheduled Aug. 17 in Santa Fe and in Albuquerque, according to an announcement from the Democratic governor's office.
Clinton and Richardson will attend both events, said Richardson spokesman Pahl Shipley.
The two have not seen nor spoken to one another since Richardson threw his support for the presidential nomination to Obama in March, Shipley said.
Bill Burton, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, said in a statement that the governor's efforts "reinforce Sen. Obama's commitment to unifying the Democratic Party and assisting Sen. Clinton's effort to retire her campaign debt."
Shipley said Richardson "was a presidential candidate, too, and he understands what it's like to have campaign debt and the need to retire that debt."
Clinton adviser James Carville likened Richardson to Judas after the governor endorsed Obama as a "once-in-a-lifetime leader." Richardson had been energy secretary and ambassador to the United Nations in President Bill Clinton's administration.
The former president, who had spent Super Bowl Sunday with Richardson at the governor's residence in New Mexico, told California Democrats in a private meeting in April that he had expected Richardson to back Hillary Rodham Clinton or to remain neutral, according to several people who attended the session.
Richardson, who is in his second term, is the nation's only Hispanic governor and his endorsement had been sought-after.
Clinton endorsed Obama after withdrawing from the race in June.
Richardson, who had dropped out of the presidential primary contest in January, has been campaigning for Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee.
The Santa Fe event will be hosted by Dave Contarino, Richardson's top political strategist and his former chief of staff. The Albuquerque fundraiser will be hosted by businessman Paul Blanchard, a friend of the governor's and a major political donor to him.
Details were still being worked out, Shipley said.
