Taming the Wild West is ‘critical’ to Richardson’s primary strategy
By Sam Youngman
August 03, 2007
If New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson becomes the Democratic presidential nominee in 2008, his playbook no doubt will read like a version of “How the West Was Won.”
Richardson’s campaign sees the prevalence of Western states on Super Tuesday, along with early-voting Nevada, as a calendar that could propel the governor to a victory that looks like a long shot to most analysts.
“Western Democrats, particularly Democratic governors, have shown they can win the West, and we’re the only ones,” campaign manager Dave Contarino told The Hill.
Contarino acknowledged that next year’s loaded Super Tuesday, which now includes Arizona, Utah, Oklahoma, New Mexico and the grand prize of California, is at the core of the campaign’s strategy to win the nomination.
Contarino said his team knows it needs to build momentum ahead of the second round, momentum it only can get from making respectable showings in Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire. He said polls indicate support for Richardson is starting to materialize in those early states.
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http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/taming-the-wild-west-is-critical-to-richardsons-primary-strategy-2007-08-03.html