| | Report: Richardson will tell supporters to back Obama in some areas 
Campaign denies claim
Gov. Bill Richardson's (D-NM) campaign will direct supporters to support Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) in areas where the candidate has less than 15 percent support -- the limit of viability in the Iowa caucus, according to a report in the Iowa Independent
The publication cited "two sources familiar with the plan," who said "the New Mexico Governor's organizers have been instructed to direct supporters to Obama in the places where they fail to reach the 15% threshold for viability."
A Richardson spokesman, Joaquin H. Guerra, denied the plan at Open Left.
"Hi this is Joaquin with the Richardson Campaign and the rumor is false- there are no deals," Guerra wrote in a post. "These are typical last minute election shenanigans."
The Nation notes that "[i]t's the second-tier candidates in Iowa, so often written off by the national media, who could decide the winner of the Democratic caucus on January 3."
"Richardson alone could play a prominent role in swinging the election," the magazine's editorial continues. "Right now he's reached double-digits in certain polls yet fallen short of 15 percent."
The Nation adds, "At a house party in Fairfield yesterday with about 30 supporters, Richardson said he'd already gathered 18,000 supporters and predicted he'd be viable in a majority of the precincts in the state. When asked who his supporters would caucus for if he fell below 15 percent, Richardson declined to speculate. 'I'm just doing my own thing,' he responded. At his stops across the state, he said roughly a third of voters were still undecided. 'It shows that the race is still wide open,' Richardson said. 'There's also committed voters who are willing to be persuaded otherwise.' The largest percentage of Richardson supporters in Fairfield, which was still only a handful, said they'd back Obama as their second choice."
Earlier this week, as RAW STORY reported, Dennis Kucinich suggested his backers throw their second ballots to Obama if the Ohio congressman doesn't reach the all-important 15 percent threshold.
"I hope Iowans will caucus for me as their first choice this Thursday, because of my singular positions on the war, on health care, and trade. This is an opportunity for people to stand up for themselves," said Kucinich in a press release. "But in those caucus locations where my support doesn't reach the necessary threshold, I strongly encourage all of my supporters to make Barack Obama their second choice. Sen. Obama and I have one thing in common: Change."
Obama was pleased with the development. "I have a lot of respect for Congressman Kucinich, and I’m honored that he has done this, because we both believe deeply in the need for fundamental change," he said in a statement. "He and I have been fighting for a number of the same priorities -- including an end to the war in Iraq that we both opposed from the start, reforming Washington and creating a better life for America's working families."
The Independent said Richardson's campaign is in jeopardy.
Richardson, whose poll numbers in Iowa have hovered near 10% since June, may need a solid fourth-place finish in the caucuses to continue his campaign. And he is best served by directing support away from former Sen. John Edwards, who consistently polls between him and the two national front-runners, Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton, in national and early state polls.
But Richardson's modest gains from diverting second-choice support away from Edwards may be eclipsed by Obama's potential success on caucus night, should everything go as planned. If Richardson's field organization manages to direct a significant number of supporters to Obama, it could be enough to win him the Iowa Caucuses.
And if Edwards loses a large block of second-round voters, a group he seems to be relying on to break in his direction, it could irreparably damage his campaign.
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