Newswise — Presidential primary expert Danta Scala with the University of New Hampshire is available to discuss former Gov. Bill Richardson's endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for president.
According to Scala, Richardson's endorsement of Obama is significant given the former governor's history with the Clintons. It also could influence superdelegates who may have been leaning toward supporting Hillary Clinton in light of Obama's recent troubles with his former pastor.
If Obama is the Democratic Party nominee, Richardson has the potential to help Obama with Hispanic voters in the general election. Scala notes that primary contests with significant numbers of Hispanic voters have already taken place, so Richardson's influence with these voters in upcoming primary contests won't be significant.
As far as an Obama/Richardson presidential ticket, Scala said it's a good match.
"It would make sense to put a governor who has executive experience on the ticket. It would make sense to put someone with foreign policy experience on the ticket. And it would make sense to put someone who can attract Hispanic votes on the ticket. On paper, it's a nice fit," Scala says.
"Such a ticket works better in places like Virginia, South Carolina and the southwestern states. The Southwest could be a prime target for Democrats. But adding Richardson to the ticket does not help Obama with white working class voters, such as those in Pennsylvania and Ohio," Scala says.
Scala is an associate professor of political science at UNH. As a national expert on presidential primary politics, Scala regularly provides context and expertise for national and regional news media. His other areas of expertise include American campaigns and elections, the presidential nominating process, state and local government, American political development and politics, in general.
He received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago in 2000. He is the author of "Stormy Weather: The New Hampshire Primary and Presidential Politics (2003)." Scala runs the popular political blog, Graniteprof: http://graniteprof.typepad.com/.
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