With the state's primary drawing near, presidential hopeful Bill Richardson covered more than 400 miles in two days recently, touting his plan for jobs and education, two issues he says are unsatisfactorily addressed by the other candidates.

At stops from Hanover to Berlin, the second-term Democratic governor of New Mexico limits his speech to about 15 minutes, leaving the rest of the time open for questions. He doesn't look happy when his staffers motion for him to finish up the voter Q&A.

"C'mon, I'm at 12 percent here," he jokes, referencing his state poll numbers, which put him in fourth place behind Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards.

Richardson doesn't like the negative sniping among the top two Democratic candidates, but he can't help a little dig at his opponents.

"We're facing a crisis in this country, and I do think experience might be useful," Richardson told voters. That experience includes being a governor, seven-term congressman and a longtime diplomat. He served in President Bill Clinton's cabinet as both U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and secretary of energy.

Last weekend Richardson visited a senior center in Hanover, shook hands with people eating breakfast at the Tilt'n Diner in Tilton and ate homemade venison and moose stew in Berlin.

When someone asked what differentiates him from the other Democratic candidates, Richardson deadpans, "Besides my good looks?"

Democratic presidential hopeful New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, second from left, greets customers at the Tilt’n Diner in Tilton earlier this month. (AP)

Beyond the jokes, Richardson says it's his experience, plus his plan for education and jobs, that set him apart.

He wants to balance the federal budget and stimulate economic growth with well-paying jobs of the future that can't be outsourced - solar, rail, wind, biomedical and bio-diesel. He would offer tax breaks for companies that pay over the prevailing wage and eliminate tax breaks for those that send American jobs overseas.

In Meredith, the governor thanked Dale Hart and her nephew Sim Willey - owners of Hart's Turkey Farm Restaurant - for hosting wife Barbara for Thanksgiving dinner when she and her family used to drive up from Concord, Mass.

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Richardson has been married to Barbara - his high school sweetheart - for 35 years. Barbara Richardson attended Colby-Sawyer College.

"I expect to carry New London because of that," he jokes.

He advocates a minimum starting salary of $40,000 for all teachers, scrapping the "No Child Left Behind" initiative and paying for two years of college for every person in exchange for one year of national service. He wants to increase arts programs in schools and eliminate junk food in school vending machines, something he's already done in his home state.

On the first day of his presidency, he promises to shut down Guantanamo Bay and any secret prisons the U.S. might be operating.

Richardson's stand on Iraq has won Littleton resident Kate Moss's vote.

Moss's son Kevin will deploy to Iraq in March. A mechanic in the Air Force, it's Kevin's third-tour of duty in two years.

"The first time he went, I tried to convince myself that if something happened, I would be proud of his service - but I couldn't do it," Moss said. "Then I saw one of Richardson's television ads, the one that said, 'Stubbornness is not a foreign policy.' That appealed to me, I'm not willing to sacrifice my son."

If elected, Richardson promises to bring all troops home within a year.

The five-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee vows to work with Republicans and Independents to get things done. His goals include federally subsidized universal health care for all Americans and lowering Medicare eligibility from age 65 to 55.

As the governor of a state that borders Mexico, Richardson understands the problems of illegal immigration and wants more border patrol agents and detection equipment. He also believes there should be an eventual path toward citizenship for those here illegally.

Richardson admits he doesn't have all the answers.

In Conway, Mark Dunau of New York challenged the governor on how he would help the self-employed who not only pay self-employment tax but also can't deduct health insurance costs on their taxes. The governor asked some clarifying questions of Dunau, who grows vegetables on a family farm.

Richardson listened and then said, "You know what, I didn't know that. But I'll look into it, and incorporate it into my health care plan."