Richardson Campaign Press Release - Governor Bill Richardson Officially Breaks into Top Tier

SANTA FE, NM -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson's campaign for the Democratic Presidential nomination is building momentum and gaining new support across the country. Earlier this week, the campaign released a poll showing a huge jump in Governor Richardson's support in Iowa. In fact, among the likeliest Iowa caucus-goers, Governor Richardson is now polling ahead of Senator Barack Obama.

"Governor Richardson's plans for getting all of our troops out of Iraq by the end of the year, providing health insurance to every American, and making our economy the strongest and fairest in the world are resonating with voters," said campaign manager Dave Contarino.

Governor Richardson continues to build strong upward momentum in polls across the board, and particularly in Iowa and New Hampshire. Today, an independent poll released by WHDH-TV and Suffolk University shows Governor Richardson tied with former Senator John Edwards in New Hampshire.

"The more voters get to know Governor Richardson, the better we do in the polls," said Contarino.

Also today, respected polling website Pollster.com added Governor Richardson to its "Top Democrat" tracking charts. In doing so, Pollster.com became the latest media observer to confirm what the voters already know: Bill Richardson has broken into the top tier in the race for the Democratic nomination. Pollster.com notes that, among the Democratic candidates, "his is the only trajectory that is clearly moving up."

"Voters in Iowa and New Hampshire are too smart and too proud of their role in the nominating process to let the media anoint a nominee for them," Contarino said. "We are pleased with our recent momentum in the polls and we know that these polls will fluctuate as the race goes on. Our strategy, however, will remain consistent: proving to every American -- day in, day out -- that Governor Richardson is the strongest, best-qualified candidate in the race."