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| Photo: Getty Images |
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Richardson's Run
Richardson, 59, is a diplomatic legend. Just days after beginning his second gubernatorial term, the former U.S. congressman, secretary of energy, and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations went to the Darfur region of Sudan to negotiate a ceasefire. Months earlier, the Democrat helped secure the release of a jailed U.S. journalist in that country. As his campaign moves forward, Richardson, who is Mexican American, touts what he has accomplished for a state with a fast-growing aging population. “I believe under my governorship, [Latinos 50-plus] have fared well,” he says. “I've focused on various programs for seniors.” He offers examples: He has increased funding to colonias—border areas plagued by substandard housing, poor roads and drainage, and inadequate environmental infrastructure. (Many older New Mexicans live in these areas.) He has launched programs to help people understand and enroll in Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage, and he has given tax rebates for energy assistance to older citizens, working families, and low-income households. Also under Richardson, New Mexico started its United We Ride program in four counties, offering transportation service options designed to meet the needs of older adults, disabled people, and other disadvantaged communities. The state also invested $60 million in senior center facilities and created a government program providing legal services to grandparents raising grandchildren. If Richardson is elected president, he will have to lay the groundwork for an increasingly diverse population. By 2015 Hispanics are expected to make up 16 percent of the U.S. population, and by 2025 the number of Latinos 50-plus will more than double, from 6 million today to nearly 16 million. Read more in our one-on-one conversation with Governor Richardson. |
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