PRESIDENTIAL RACE \ Developments

Developments on the campaign trail:

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson ended his campaign for the presidency Wednesday after twin fourth-place finishes that showed his impressive credentials could not compete with his rivals’ star power. Richardson planned to announce the decision today, according to two people close to the governor with knowledge of the decision. They spoke on a condition of anonymity in advance of the governor’s announcement.

Republican Rudy Giuliani’s speech on taxes got sidetracked Wednesday after a bomb threat forced organizers to move to another location. The former New York mayor planned to address a town hall meeting with 200 Harris Corp. employees and Giuliani supporters. The event was scuttled when six of the company’s buildings were evacuated. Instead, Giuliani began his speech an hour later in a nearby airport hanger, where campaign workers handed out water to supporters waiting in the sun as bomb sniffing dogs checked reporters’ equipment and airport security workers screened attendees.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has quietly been polling and conducting a highly sophisticated voter analysis in all 50 states as he decides whether to launch an independent presidential bid, associates said Wednesday. The exhaustive data collection started months ago, and when the review begins shortly, it will provide the data-obsessed billionaire businessman with the information he will use to decide whether to make a third-party run for the White House.

Source: Associated Press