BILL RICHARDSON

Although his name traces back to a lineage of Massachusetts blue-bloods, Richardson is three-quarters Mexican and aiming to be the first Hispanic president. His long resume includes, on top of service in Congress and the Cabinet, freelance diplomatic missions that have successfully freed U.S. prisoners in Iraq and Sudan and gotten U.S. soldiers' remains back from North Korea. He was re-elected governor of New Mexico in 2006 with 68 percent of the vote.

BIRTHDAY: Nov. 15, 1947 (60) HOMETOWN: Born in Pasadena, Calif., grew up in Mexico City before

attending a Massachusetts boarding school

RELIGION: Roman Catholic FAMILY: Married to high-school sweetheart Barbara since 1972. They have no children. EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree, 1970, master's degree, 1971, both Tufts University

EXPERIENCE: Congressman from New Mexico, 1983-97; U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, 1997-98; U.S. energy secretary, 1998-2001; governor of New Mexico, 2003-present

YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW: Richardson once got in trouble politically for claiming he was drafted by Major League Baseball. Although he was a top high-school pitching prospect, Richardson was never drafted.

CAMPAIGN OFFICIAL WEB SITE WWW.RICHARDSONFORPRESIDENT.COM

DECISION TO RUN:

Richardson says he's running because only he has the track record to come up with practical solutions to problems and bring people together.

MAJOR THEMES:

In addition to his resume, Richardson has sounded a note of positivity, chiding other candidates in televised debates for attacking one another personally and thus dividing Democrats.

IN NEVADA:

Has opened four offices. Richardson has spent more time in the state than any other candidate, 20 days so far, and has been endorsed by two state legislators.

IN THE POLLS

NATIONALLY

Richardson is an also-ran in nationwide polls, pulling support in the low single digits, but has occasionally hit 10 percent in New Hampshire. In Thursday's Iowa caucus, Richardson finished fourth with just 2 percent of the vote.

NEVADA

As the only Western Democrat and the only Hispanic candidate, Richardson initially saw Nevada as a potential breakout state, but the Review-Journal's most recent poll showed him in fourth with 7 percent of the Democratic vote.

POSITIONS

WAR/NATIONAL SECURITY

Richardson touts his proposal to get all U.S. troops out of Iraq and the region. Most of the other candidates' approaches would leave small numbers of U.S. soldiers for specific missions, which Richardson says falls short of a full withdrawal. Richardson points to his diplomatic experience as proof he can deal with foreign leaders.

HEALTH CARE

Richardson's plan for universal health care would expand existing government programs. He says this is desirable because it wouldn't cause a disruptive upheaval and wouldn't create any new bureaucracy.

IMMIGRATION

As a border-state governor, Richardson has dealt with illegal immigration personally. He declared a state of emergency, allocated money for increased border security and allowed illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses as a public-safety measure. He supports comprehensive immigration reform that would give illegal immigrants a "tough but reasonable path to legalization."

NEVADA ISSUES

Richardson can talk in detail about Western issues such as public lands and water supplies; he proposes a Cabinet-level post to oversee water. But he has gotten tangled up on the issue of Yucca Mountain. He continues to claim he has opposed the planned nuclear waste repository throughout his career, but he voted it forward as a member of Congress and allowed the project to continue as secretary of energy.

ENERGY

Richardson calls for a large increase in fuel-economy standards, aggressive renewable-energy portfolio goals and a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 90 percent by 2050. He doesn't rule out nuclear power as part of the solution.

TAXES

Richardson has cut taxes in New Mexico and lured businesses with tax breaks. He proposes to pay for many of his proposals by ending the war and redirecting those funds.

CRITICS

Richardson has a tendency to make gaffes big and small. In a televised forum on gay rights, he first seemed confused when asked whether homosexuality was a choice, then said he believed it was, and had to explain later that he didn't mean to suggest gay people could decide to be straight. On "Meet the Press," he capped off a lackluster interview by claiming to be a fan of both the Yankees and Red Sox, which most consider a logical impossibility. An ardent supporter of gun rights, he is the only Democratic candidate viewed favorably by the National Rifle Association, a stance with which many Democratic voters might be uneasy.