ALBUQUERQUE -- Gary King says Bill Richardson can keep on running. For president, that is.

New Mexico's Democratic attorney general released a quick opinion yesterday evening stating that Governor Richardson is allowed, under state campaigning law, to raise money during the upcoming state legislative session for his presidential bid in 2008.

King's opinion was in response to a question from Republican State Senator Leonard Lee Lawson about whether the governor's federal fundraising violated the 1978 State Campaign Reporting Act. King ruled, after just over a week of deliberation, that it does not.

"I recognized the importance of this question as soon as it was raised and the reasons why a prompt response was needed," King explained in yesterday's press release.

He added: "The Governor's fundraising activities for the Presidency are subject to [federal] preemption and regulated entirely by federal law and do not contravene the state ban on fundraising during the prohibited period."

King's opinion, authored by Assistant Attorney General Zachary Shandler, concluded: "Based on the doctrine of Federal Preemption, the prohibitions in the State Campaign Reporting Act and State Lobbyist Regulation Act do not regulate contributions to candidates for federal office."

Richardson began his presidential campaign fundraising on Jan. 21, when he first announced he was considering a run for president. Lawson filed his question with King Jan. 30.