Richardson officially declares bid for Democratic presidential nomination

LOS ANGELES — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson vowed to repair the "ravages" of the Bush administration Monday as he formally announced his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The former congressman and Cabinet secretary said his track record makes him the right person to lead the country through a pivotal time. He played up his experience to set him apart in the field with some more famous and better-funded rivals.

"Some are rock stars," said Richardson, who represented New Mexico in Congress and served as President Clinton's energy secretary and ambassador to the United Nations. "I am not, but I have a proven record.

In Spanish, he said, "With pride, I hope to be the first Latino president of the United States."

Richardson made the announcement during a news conference at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in the same room where he said his hero, President Kennedy, accepted the Democratic nomination in 1960.

"I'm proud of my record of getting things done," Richardson said. "And I'll put that record up against anyone's."

Richardson said he would repair "damage done here at home and to our reputation abroad," first by removing U.S. troops from Iraq and using diplomacy as the primary instrument of U.S. foreign policy.

"The challenges we face are not acts of God or accidents of fate," Richardson said. "They're man-made and they're deliberate. Whether it will be willful ignorance or an ignorant will, we are left with the ravages of an administration that will take years to rectify. But we can do it."

Richardson has been running for president for months, but he had only formed can exploratory campaign under federal election rules. He is running against Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden; former Sens. John Edwards and Mike Gravel; and Rep. Dennis Kucinich.

He raised $6.2 million in the first three months of the year — about a quarter of what Obama and Clinton brought in and less than half of what Edwards raised. But his campaign always said he would focus more intensely on fundraising after the first quarter.

His decision to stage a formal launch in Los Angeles was meant to highlight his Hispanic roots and his leadership of a Western state. Richardson also wanted to showcase his roots in California, the nation's most delegate-rich state which has moved up its presidential primary to a new position of early influence on Feb. 5.