Obama Snags Richardson Endorsement

CHICAGO -- Gov. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.) will endorse Sen. Barack Obama's presidential candidacy today after a long courtship by both Obama and his rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Obama campaign announced this morning.

The endorsement of Richardson, the nation's only Hispanic governor, has been seen as a rich prize since he abandoned his own presidential campaign in January. He is expected to appear with Obama at a campaign event in Oregon today.

In a statement first reported by the Associated Press, Richardson described the Illinois senator as a "once-in-a-lifetime leader that can bring our nation together and restore America's moral leadership in the world."

Clinton campaign advisers dismissed the significance of Richardson's endorsement,

But it is one that Clinton had solicited

Richardson chose Obama despite his close ties to the Clintons

served as energy secretary and U.N. ambassador in Bill Clinton's administration