Richardson makes it official – abandons ’08 race

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson officially ended his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday after his long-shot candidacy failed to gain traction with voters in the early primary states.

Richardson called the campaign a “remarkable process” and said he gave the race “the best I had.” The governor was never able to attract the kind of support and money that Democratic front-runners Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) did.

{mosads}Richardson sought to woo voters with his vast experience as a state executive, a former secretary of energy and a diplomat. In addition, the governor hoped that he, as a Hispanic, would be able to attract that growing bloc of voters.