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Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who sought to become the nation’s first Hispanic president this year, plans to endorse Senator Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination on Friday at a campaign event in Oregon.

 

Joshua Lott for The New York Times

Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico called Senator Barack Obama at a debate in Des Moines, Iowa, in Dec. 2007.

Mr. Richardson, a former congressman and energy secretary in the Clinton administration, dropped out of the Democratic race in January after finishing behind Mr. Obama and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the first nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. Since then, he has been aggressively courted by his former rivals.

Mr. Obama’s address on race in Philadelphia on Tuesday appeared tosway Mr. Richardson, who sent word to the senator that he was inspired and impressed by the speech, in which Mr. Obama called for an end to the “racial stalemate” that has divided Americans for decades. Aides said the endorsement was locked down over the following two days.

In a statement, Mr. Richardson hailed Mr. Obama’s judgment and ability to be commander-in-chief — qualities that Mrs. Clinton has called into question in recent weeks on the campaign trail.

“I believe he is the kind of once-in-a-lifetime leader that can bring our nation together and restore America’s moral leadership in the world,” Mr. Richardson said in the statement, provided by the Obama campaign early Friday morning.

“As a presidential candidate, I know full well Senator Obama’s unique moral ability to inspire the American people to confront our urgent challenges at home and abroad in a spirit of bipartisanship and reconciliation.”

Mr. Obama and Mr. Richardson are set to appear on stage together Friday at the Memorial Coliseum in downtown Portland, according to Democratic officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. An adviser to Mr. Obama alsoconfirmed the endorsement.

The endorsement offers a timely boost for Mr. Obama, who has weathered the most tumultuous two weeks of a 15-month campaign. He has been seeking to reassure superdelegates that his efforts have not been thrown off course by a series of controversies, including inflammatory statements about the government and race in America made by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., his longtime spiritual adviser and former pastor.

As the nation’s only Hispanic governor, Mr. Richardson could become a champion for Mr. Obama among Hispanic voters, who have been a key voting bloc for Mrs. Clinton in the primaries thus far. And his endorsement is also notable because he is a friend and admirer of Mrs. Clinton, and was widely viewed as a possible running mate for both her and for Mr. Obama.

At several debates last year, Mr. Richardson often came to Mrs. Clinton’s defense as other Democratic rivals criticized her. Since leaving the race, he has spoken frequently with Mrs. Clinton as well as her husband Bill Clinton, the former president, to whom he is particularly close. (They watched the Super Bowl together at the New Mexico governor’s mansion in Santa Fe.)

When Mr. Obama learned about the game-watching party, he called the governor. “You know, I’d be good company, too,” Mr. Obama told him, Mr. Richardson recalled in a recent interview.

Mr. Obama did not mention the endorsement as he flew from West Virginia to Oregon on Thursday night.

As a governor, Mr. Richardson is a superdelegate who would have a vote in the nominating contest if neither Mr. Obama nor Mrs. Clinton ends the primary season in June with a lead in delegates amassed during the 2008 primaries and caucuses. Mr. Obama now has an overall lead of 148.5 delegates, according to an analysis by The New York Times; a candidate needs 2,024 to win the Democratic nomination.

In his statement, Mr. Richardson, who served as ambassador to the United Nations under Mr. Clinton, said “there is no doubt in my mind that Barack Obama has the judgment and courage we need in a commander in chief when our nation’s security is on the line. He showed this judgment by opposing the Iraq war from the start, and he has shown it during this campaign by standing up for a new era in American leadership internationally.”

In a prepared statement, Mr. Obama said:

“Whether it’s fighting to end the Iraq war or stop the genocide in Darfur or prevent nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists, Gov. Richardson has been a powerful voice on issues of global security, peace and justice, earning five Nobel Peace Prize nominations.”