Bill Richardson

MINNEAPOLIS - Newarkers will welcome New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to the North Ward on Sept. 6, to campaign for presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

Set to appear at the Flamboyan Manor on Saturday afternoon, Richardson will be joined by U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-West New York), state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos, and other elected officials, according to Andrews Poag, spokesman for the Obama campaign.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is scheduled to campaign for Barack Obama in Newark's North Ward on Saturday, Sept. 6th, according to Essex County insider, former State Democratic Party Chairman Ray Durkin.

Durkin is a personal friend of Richardson's and signed up as an early backer in last year's Democratic Primary.

North Ward Democratic leader Steve Adubato and his team are organizing the Richardson event, aimed at energizing Latino voters for the Democratic ticket on Nov. 4th.

A top Clinton campaign fundraiser says Bob Menendez would make an ideal candidate for Vice President: Getty Images Photo
Vice President Bob Menendez?

John F.X. Graham, one of Hillary Clinton's National Finance Co-Chairs, thinks that the New Jersey Senator would make a great choice if Clinton wins the Democratic primary.

Graham fired off an email this morning to Clinton Campaign Manager Terry McAuliffe listing politicians who would make good vice presidential material, including the choices most often brought up: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, John Edwards and Joe Biden. But Menendez, a Clinton campaign national co-chair, would be the "most intriguing" choice, Graham wrote.

Graham said that, like Richardson, Menendez can appeal to the increasingly important Latino voting bloc, but has universal appeal as well. And Mendendez's Cuban heritage makes him well received in Florida's predominantly Republican Cuban-American community.

"The name Richardson does not exactly sound Latino," wrote Graham. "The Latino voting block is becoming the most influential in this election, especially with the immigration and other economic issues confronting our prosperity. For a lack of a better term, he is the Latino Barack Obama with the experience."

The following is an unofficial list of the Democratic candidates for president in the order in which they will appear - lines A through F - on the Feb. 5th primary ballots in 20 of New Jersey's 21 counties. Cumberland County's lineup was not available on Thursday.   

Atlantic: Edwards, Richardson, Clinton, Kucinich, Obama, Biden 

Bergen: Obama, Biden, Edwards, Clinton, Kucinich, Richardson 

Burlington: Obama, Edwards, Kucinich, Clinton, Richardson, Biden

After all the emails and phone calls back and forth regarding ballot drawing procedure, Essex County Clerk Chris Durkin said he couldn’t believe the way it turned out for the Democratic presidential candidates in Essex.

The Barack Obama campaign made a statement Monday as the Democratic Party's tallies of signatures to get presidential candidates on the ballot in New Jersey showed Obama smothering the Hillary Clinton campaign, by almost 2,000 votes.