Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico, came in a disappointing fourth place for the Democrats at the Iowa caucuses Thursday.

“When you’re outspent 20 to one, it shows,” Richardson said.

Throughout the Iowa campaign, Richardson was placed solidly in the middle of the pack, lacking the muscle to edge out from under the shadow cast by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

For most of caucus night, the race was a nearly three-way tie between Obama, Clinton and Edwards, with Richardson getting support from around 2 percent of Iowa precincts.

Steve Simons, of Des Moines, said he thinks Obama and Clinton got a little more press than they would have any other year.

“This is really the year of the Democrats, and I think that the party saw that if they wanted to break the racial or gender barrier of public officials, this was the year to do it,” he said.

A solid portion of Obama and Clinton’s early publicity came from the fact that they would be the first of their race or sex to hold the office of the president. However, if Richardson were to be elected, he would be the first Hispanic to hold that office, which brings up the question of why that he didn’t bask in the same limelight as the main contenders.

“People have been making a huge deal about having a female or black president, but no one’s said anything about a Latino president. Why that is is a good question,” Simons said.

It’s not from a lack of any distinguishing issue stances. One of Richardson’s main talking points was pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq within his first year of office, which is in sharp contrast to the hemming and hawing coming from the Democratic front-runners on that topic.

Richardson has been quoted as saying that many generals agree with him that a withdrawal of armed forces could be completed within six to eight months.

“I ask that all the other candidates join me in ending this war. With the war still going, we cannot have diplomacy in that region,” Richardson said.

Richardson has some background in dealing with the Middle East and with general conflict situations. He was once the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and secured hostages in North Korea and Iraq, even negotiating personally with Saddam Hussein.

His stance on illegal immigration, another of the main issues in this election, showcased the duality this man faced throughout his campaign. Richardson spent the first few years of his life in Mexico City, before attending a private university in Massachusetts. This balancing act between his roots is evident in his stance on immigration.

In a Democratic debate in early September, Richardson said the planned border wall is a terrible symbol for America to have and that “if you build a 12-foot wall, you know what’s going to happen? A lot of 13-foot ladders.”

However, he also has increased border patrols in New Mexico, even declaring a state of emergency along the border in 2005. Along with that declaration, he also gave $1.75 million to law enforcement agencies to increase the number of border patrols.

Despite his interesting views and hands-on campaigning approach (Richardson claims to hold the world record for shaking the most hands in one day), he was unable to secure a prominent placing in the caucuses. In the final poll before the caucuses, Richardson only garnered support from 6 percent of those questioned in the poll.

About 70 people were at Richardson’s party after the caucuses concluded, at the Quality Inn and Suites off Interstate 235. Sharon Maloof, of New Mexico, is a volunteer for Richardson’s campaign and traveled with him to Iowa.

“I’ve been here since the 26th,” she said.

While disheartened by the result, she maintains her spirit and hope for the future.

“Personally, I thought he’d win. But this is just the beginning,” she said. “Things will turn out well for him in the future.”

Maloof threw her hat in with Richardson because she sees him as a dynamic leader that is able to beat the Republicans.

“He’s definitely the most qualified. I agree with his international policy and his governing policy, and he’s the only candidate with experience as a governor,” she said.

Kathy Ulrich, of Des Moines, is another supporter of Richardson, and noted an interesting fact about Richardson’s campaign.

“No one’s really said anything negative about Richardson in their campaign, publicly, at least,” she said. “I think there’s a strong support for him here.”

She also commented on why she thinks the Democratic caucus process is more a test of character than the Republican process.

“It takes guts to stand up in a room and show who you support, as opposed to a private vote,” she said. “I never budged from Richardson at all, even when he wasn’t eligible.”

It seems that the support for Obama and Clinton has polarized most of the Democrats in the nation, as most are either for one or the other. Kara Nelson, of Altoona, is one of the few that isn’t.

“I’m undecided about who I will vote for, but I know it definitely won’t be Clinton or Obama,” she said. “I disagree with some of their views, and I think they get too much attention.”

It was people like that that Richardson needed to pull to his side, but they were too few and far between. Richardson, however, remains upbeat.

“This race is not over. I am going to the final four debate in New Hampshire,” Richardson said.