Bill Richardson
Latest News on Bill Richardson
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- Candidate Status:
- Out
- Current Job:
- Governor of New Mexico
- Birth Date:
- November 15, 1947 in Pasadena, California
- Family:
- Wife Barbara Flavin Richardson; no children
- Religion:
- Catholic
- Education:
- Tufts University, B.A., 1970
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, M.A., 1971
- Career:
- Bill Richardson is the current governor of New Mexico. In 1997, President Clinton named Richardson U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Later, Clinton appointed him his secretary of energy. Before that, Richardson served as a U.S. congressman from New Mexico for 15 years, and sat on the Interior Committee and House Select Committee on Intelligence. He was also chair of the Hispanic Caucus.
- Other facts:
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- Bill Richardson grew up in Mexico City and is bilingual.
- Abortion:
- Richardson says that as a Catholic, he is personally opposed to abortion, but that he nonetheless supports a woman's right to choose. He criticized the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld the federal ban on partial-birth abortion. He says such decisions should be "kept out of the government's hands" and left to women, their families, doctors and God.
- Energy/Environment:
- Richardson says he wants to reduce carbon emissions by 90 percent by 2050. He says he would require that 10 percent of all energy come from renewable sources and then increase that requirement. Richardson says he would provide incentives for solar, wind, bio-fuels and other renewable energy sources.
- Immigration:
- Richardson, whose mother is from Mexico, says comprehensive immigration reform should contain a legalization plan. He said illegal immigrants should be able to earn legal status by passing background checks, paying back taxes and fines, learning to speak English and getting in line behind legal immigrants. He has said any attempt to deport the millions of illegal immigrants in this U.S. simply won't work. Richardson believes that building a wall on the border would not stop illegal workers from coming into the U.S.; he supports hiring more Border Patrol agents and beefing up border security.
- Iraq:
- Richardson has encouraged Democrats to pass a resolution de-authorizing the Iraq war. He says the U.S. needs to establish a 2007 departure date. Richardson believes Iraqis should take responsibility for their own country, and that there can be no military solution to the country's political crisis.
- Taxes
- Richardson supports tax cuts.
