Dear Iowa Democrat,

It has been a busy week for Governor Bill Richardson's campaign here in Iowa: Our TV ads are still being widely praised and well-received; the Governor unveiled a bold new Energy Plan; and we had a very successful trip in Southwest Iowa.

Sunday's Des Moines Register showed Richardson moving significantly into double-digits in the latest statewide caucus poll.

Monday, the governor formally announced his candidacy for president.

And today we are announcing the launch of our new "Iowa for Richardson" webpage.

Make no mistake about - while we are using today's latest technology (including this email!) and innovative, engaging TV ads - we will run an aggressive, old-fashioned, one-handshake-at-a-time caucus operation.

But don't take my word for it - read what has been reported in the press over the past few days:

• RICHARDSON'S OLD-SCHOOL IOWA STRATEGY PAYING DIVIDENDS
  Richardson's visit to the small GOP-leaning Montgomery County seat... is part of his campaign's strategy to play the Iowa caucuses game by the old rules, not rely on star quality and packed events that don't offer the access Iowans have come to expect, demand even. - Iowa Independent


• ONE HANDSHAKE AT A TIME
  "I'm going to be here for the next eight months - I'm not going to give a speech and leave." It is a strategy right out of the playbook of Jimmy Carter, who made Iowa caucuses his launching pad in 1976. Shake every hand; hit every town, large and small, and shock the political establishment with a surprise showing. - CBS News senior political correspondent Jeff Greenfield


• BIG HELPING OF POLITICS ON RICHARDSON'S BILL OF FARE
  His grassroots campaign was on full display Friday at a Sapp Bros. truck plaza, where he treated about 20 potential Iowa caucusgoers to breakfast and answered questions about illegal immigration and Iraq. Afterward, the gregarious governor shook hands with cooks and waitresses and surprised diners. - Omaha World Herald


• "GRASSROOTS" CAMPAIGNING LIVES
  Instead, he prefers the grassroots way of doing things, appearing at coffee shops and in people's homes. "The voters want to see you up close," he said Friday. Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, is doing just that this weekend around the Omaha/Council Bluffs area - and, as he has done elsewhere, getting positive results. - Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil


• RICHARDSON INSTINCTIVE WITH IOWA-FLAVORED HUMOR
  Of the top four Democratic candidates in the race, Bill Richardson, the New Mexico governor, is most natural with a Sunday lemonade-brand of spontaneous humor. It's instinctive for him, and it's one of the reasons he's climbing in the polls... As Richardson hits the small towns of Iowa, pays his dues the old-fashioned way, he'll make many Iowans comfortable with him. He comes across as a person who genuinely likes people. The same cannot be said of all candidates. - Iowa Independent

Iowa will be seeing a great deal of Governor Bill Richardson this summer. We are committed to running a grassroots effort ... and committed to earning your support - "One handshake at a time."

Sincerely,

Robert Becker
State Director
Iowa for Richardson