Bill Richardson: Governor Richardson Endorsed by All Indian Pueblo Council

10/31/2007 -- SANTA FE, NM-- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today announced that the All Indian Pueblo Council has endorsed his candidacy for President of the United States. In their endorsement, the Council cited Richardson's long-standing partnership with, and record of service on behalf of, Native Americans.

"New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has been a friend of the All Indian Pueblo Council as Congressman and Secretary of Energy, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and now as Governor of the State of New Mexico," the Council said in a resolution. "At both the federal and state level, the Governor's tribal policy initiatives have been designed to strengthen government to government relations and address the challenges faced in our communities, such as economic development, infrastructure improvement, the protection of our cultures and languages, health care accessibility, and educational opportunities."

Richardson has been a strong ally of tribal governments and Native communities throughout his quarter-century in public service. As a Congressman, he was the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Native American Affairs and sponsored important bills dealing with the concerns of Native Americans. As Secretary of Energy, he appointed the department's first ever Director of Native American Affairs, oversaw the largest return of federal lands to a Native American Tribe in the last century, and established the Tribal Energy Program. As Governor of New Mexico, he has elevated the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department to a cabinet-level office and has improved the quality of life for Native American citizens via groundbreaking state-tribal policies.

Governor Richardson thanked the Council for its endorsement and repeated his pledge to make the Department of Native American Affairs a cabinet-level office.

"It is an honor to have the endorsement of the All Indian Pueblo Council," Richardson said. "Native Americans are central to the heritage of the United States, and I am proud to have partnered with my friends in the Native American community throughout my career. When I am President, Native Americans will not just have a friend in the White House; they will have a place in my cabinet."

Source: Bill Richardson campaign

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