By his own admission, New Mexico Governor and presidential candidate Bill Richardson is neither a rock star nor a celebrity — but he believes his campaign is gaining momentum and he was in the city Sunday afternoon to keep it going.

He told the nearly 50 people gathered at School Board member Marge Kern's home that he was at nearly 13 percent in the most recent polls, whereas, when he first came to New Hampshire last winter, he was between 1 and 2 percent.

"I was under the margin of error," said Richardson, delighting the crowd with his candor and his self-deprecating sense of humor.

Richardson campaigns by telling people what he would do in the first six days of his presidency.

"If we're going to shift our foreign policy to dealing with greenhouse gases, to dealing with energy independence, to dealing with international terrorism and nuclear proliferation, it has to happen after a withdrawal from Iraq," Richardson said, speaking of his first day. "It costs America to lose its moral leadership."

Secondly, he spoke about education. "You know how I would start? I would get rid of No Child Left Behind," said Richardson to applause.

An advocate of a $40,000 annual minimum wage for all teachers, Richardson also said he would encourage more people to go to college by agreeing to pay their tuition in exchange for one year of national service.

Thirdly, every American should get the best possible health care, said Richardson, accusing HMOs of "ripping off the system" while insurance companies "pad their bottom lines." He said Americans should get the same medical insurance that members of Congress get and said that all veterans should be able to get health care wherever they are, not just at Veterans Administration hospitals.

"Unions are good," said Richardson, emphasizing his fourth point which is economic growth for everybody. He said the government should give tax incentives to those companies that pay better than the prevailing wage, allow their workers to unionize, and invest in clean technology such as wind, solar, and biomass alternative energy development.

Fifth, he would join the Kyoto treaty and begin to lead the world by example in energy conservation. Describing energy self-sufficiency as an Apollo program, he said he would attempt to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign energy sources from 65 to 10 percent in 10 years.

Lastly, Richardson would remember where this country was before the current administration. "If I'm elected president, I will obey the Constitution of the United States," he said to cheers and applause.

"My vice president will be a member of the executive branch," he said, adding that he would not go to war without the consent of Congress. "We will shut down Guantánamo the first day."

Richardson also said he would protect a woman's right to choose abortion and encourage passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Although he trails both Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama in the polls, privately he said he remains optimistic and confident.

Following his speech at the Merrimack County Democratic picnic, Richardson said his campaign strategy was to do well in the first three states: New Hampshire, Iowa, and Nevada.

"I have to beat somebody significant in all three," said Richardson, enjoying a plate of food, including a much-coveted hot dog. "We have the momentum in Iowa and New Hampshire to do well."

Expounding on his Iraq withdrawal strategy, Richardson said he knows both Irani President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Syrian President Dr. Bashar al-Assad. "I know them both. They're difficult, but I know how to deal with them," said Richardson. "They don't want Iraq to blow up with refugees."

Richardson believes he can convince the Sunnis, the Shia, and the Kurds to come to some sort of power-sharing agreement. "Can I guarantee the results? I don't know," he said.

He also said he would immediately name a Mideast envoy to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

"The absence of one has hurts this country's standing immensely," he said, adding that 80 percent of the time he spent as President Bill Clinton's Secretary of Energy he spent in the Middle East, again reiterating how well he knows the region and how fervently he believes he can do something positive over there.

Although Richardson did not take questions in Merrimack County, he did in Laconia and found himself in the hot seat over his statements at the Aug. 9 non-televised debates sponsored by the homosexually-oriented LOGO network where he said he thought being gay was a choice and not biological.

"It was a stupid mistake. I screwed up," said Richardson, responding to Rep. Gail Morrison's request for him to set the record straight. "I would dump the Defense of Marriage Act."

Richardson also defended his position on illegal immigration, saying he agrees with the recent [Se. Edward] Kennedy-[Sen. John] McCain legislation that failed most recently in the Senate.

"I am a border governor and, two years ago, I declared a border emergency," he said, pausing and laughing because he said that is the point in his speeches where he always loses votes.

He said the U.S. must tighten its borders using the National Guard, as soon as he gets them back from Iraq, and use detection equipment instead of building a wall.

"The wall will not work. A 10-foot wall means 11-foot ladders," he said, adding seriously that the key would be to encourage the Mexican Government to create new and better jobs. "Mexico is our friend."

He said he would encourage a procedure by which illegal immigrants could earn U.S. green cards and citizenship that includes English proficiency, paying back taxes, paying a fine, embracing American values, and getting in line behind those who are coming in legally.

Richardson spent three days in New Hampshire and told all his audiences he does not agree with the front-loading of the Democratic primary and believes New Hampshire's primary should remain first.

"You New Hampshirites love underdogs," he said, adding that he hopes the primary isn't before Christmas because he needs all the time he can get to continue to build support.