Richardson visits Boulder City

With about 100 people packed into the lobby of a historic hotel on a quaintly preserved street, in a town that prides itself on its resistance to growth and gambling, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson might have been on a more familiar part of the campaign trail such as Iowa.

But the New Mexico governor was in Boulder City, the first 2008 candidate to visit the Hoover Dam settlement that is just half an hour from Las Vegas but does its best to stand a world apart.

As local Democratic activist Sara Denton put it, after she made a plea for a highway bypass but before ceding the candidate the stage: "We welcome you to our sweet little town." Cookies and crackers with cheese were served at the back as Richardson addressed a standing-room-only crowd at the Historic Boulder City Hotel on Arizona Street.

Richardson didn't commit to federal funding for the Boulder City bypass, but he did pledge to take a hard look at issues of land use, road funding and overall transportation infrastructure.

He touted his plan to bring all troops home from Iraq, which he said was "the clearest plan" of all the candidates, most of whom would leave residual forces after a redeployment. He also touched on education, health care and energy, making his pitch as a Westerner to the voters he hopes will give him a boost in the race for the nomination.

"I know there are candidates with more money. I know there are candidates that are better looking -- we're working on it," he said to laughter. "But nobody is coming more to Nevada than I am. Nevada is very important to me. I've got to do well here, and I need your help. Be part of an underdog effort to save our country."

Richardson took questions from the audience for about half an hour. One asked whether he would balance the budget. Richardson said he favors a constitutional amendment mandating a federal balanced budget, similar to the rules he lives under as a governor.

He said he would not support new government programs without funding mechanisms and would end corporate tax breaks. He also said, at risk of angering Congress, he would "get rid of" earmarks.

To a question about nuclear weapons, Richardson said he had a plan to phase out outdated weapons systems and would work to reduce the existing nuclear stockpile. But he said it is also important to negotiate reductions in countries' supplies of fissile material, which could be dangerous in the wrong hands.

He promised, if nominated, to announce his prospective Cabinet during the campaign, which he said would include Republicans and independents as well as Democrats.

Richardson said the answer to the undue influence of corporate lobbyists was to widen the public financing system for campaigns. He said it was wrong to condemn all lobbyists, since some represent teachers, unions or environmental groups: "Am I going to turn down their money? No."

Richardson has not sworn off lobbyist contributions or opted to take campaign matching funds, two moves his rival John Edwards has made in an effort to seem untainted by special interests.

Taking several questions about Yucca Mountain, Richardson said the project "didn't happen on my watch" when he was energy secretary in the Clinton administration. He said scientists should study the problem to find a long-term solution that doesn't involve transporting nuclear waste.

Boulder City residents Terry Conklin, 60, and Bonnie Blair, 55, live just a few blocks from the hotel. The couple had already decided to support Richardson before attending the event and said seeing him in person for the first time bolstered their decision.

"My husband has always voted Republican and I've voted Democratic, so we always canceled each other's votes," Blair said. "But we've found a candidate we both can support."

Conklin said he liked Richardson's opposition to gun control and felt the Republican candidates had drifted too far to the right. He said he'd never voted Democratic, but had recently changed his voter registration in order to participate in the Democratic presidential caucuses.