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Sen. Barack Obama's presidential bid received a pivotal endorsement today from New Mexico's Bill Richardson, the nation's only Latino governor. Ending his own presidential bid in January, Richardson called Obama a "once-in-a-lifetime leader," according to The Associated Press.

"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," Richardson said in the statement. "As a presidential candidate, I know full well Sen. Obama's unique moral ability to inspire the American people to confront our urgent challenges at home and abroad in a spirit of bipartisan and reconciliation."

Richardson, one of the coveted super delegates who may ultimately decide the democratic nominee, has been wooed by both Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton in recent months. A former secretary of the Energy Department during the Clinton administration, Richardson watched the Super Bowl with Bill Clinton in January, leading some to believe he was leaning toward endorsing Hillary Clinton.

But Richardson has been swayed by Obama. "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 showed it during this campaign by standing up for a new era in American leadership internationally," he said in the statement.

Richardson's endorsement could be key in swaying Latino voters toward the Obama campaign. They're a particularly coveted voting segment this election season for a variety of reasons. For starters, they are the nation's largest and fastest-growing ethnic group, making up approximately 15 percent of the U.S. population. This year, they comprise about 9 percent of the nation's eligible voters, according a recent study by The Pew Hispanic Center.

Also, geography will play a key factor in this year's race, as Latinos constitute a sizeable share of the electorate in four of the six states that President Bush carried by narrow margins, according to the study.

In addition to Richardson, Obama already has a strong contingent of notable Latino officials stumping for him, including Maria Elena Duranzo, secretary treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, and Denver mayor Federico Peña, who is also a former member of Bill Clinton's administration.

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