Richardson Calls on Democrats to Unite and End `Bloodletting'

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March 23 (Bloomberg) -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said Democrats must unite behind a presidential nominee soon and end the ``bloodletting'' that can doom the party's chances of capturing the White House.

"Maybe after the remaining primaries,'' which conclude June 3, Democrats should ``come together and look at who's ahead when it comes to delegates, when it comes to the popular vote, the number of states,'' Richardson said today on ``Fox News Sunday.'' ``I just feel the time has come to come together behind a candidate,'' said Richardson, who endorsed Illinois Senator Barack Obama this week.

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, a Hillary Clinton supporter, acknowledged in his appearance on the program with Richardson that Obama probably will retain his delegate lead after all contests are held, though not with enough support to clinch the nomination. The nominee should be ``the candidate that has the best chance to win,'' Rendell said.

Obama, 46, is ahead of Clinton in the popular vote and in the number of pledged delegates -- those won in primaries and caucuses. Clinton, 60, is leading in the number of superdelegates, with 250 to 214 for Obama, according to an unofficial tally by the Associated Press.

Pennsylvania holds the next primary April 22, followed by contests in Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, Montana, South Dakota and Puerto Rico.

Negative Campaign

Richardson, who dropped out of the presidential race in January, and Rendell agreed that the Democratic campaign has become too negative.

``I think it reaches a point where the leaders of the party, the voters in the Democratic Party, have to see that this bloodletting that would go between the last primary and the convention is not serving us well,'' Richardson said. ``I mean, it gets negative proportionately more every single day.''

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