You could call it second-tier lament.

One Democratic hopeful, Gov. Bill Richardson, was frustrated campaigning in Iowa last week, according to Albuquerque’s NRQE News.

Richardson said Iowa residents resent that the media has created a myth that two candidates are the only serious ones.

He’s not the only one. At a recent house party in the early primary state of New Hampshire, Chris Dodd was exasperated as he talked about being overshadowed by front-runners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Chris Dodd, a Senate Democrat representing Connecticut, is garnering little to no publicity in competition with Clinton and Obama, his Senate counterparts from New York and Illinois, respectively.

Dodd, Bill Richardson and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden have stellar resumes, decades of experience and an inviting style on the campaign trail.

So far, though, this presidential race has been dominated by the celebrity treatment of Clinton and Obama - and, to a lesser extent, John Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina.

That has left the second-tier hopefuls like Richardson, shown here speaking at Drake University in Iowa on March 2, to become more than blips on the national political radar.

Just the same, it hasn’t stopped Richardson - now noticeably slimmer, followed by many security guards and a new haircut, according to the Albuquerque Tribune - from hitting the trail hard, in the Land of Enchantment and beyond.

Monday, Richardson signed two renewable energy bills in front of reporters. That night, he went to a fundraiser at a private home in Albuquerque. His campaign declined to say how much he raised.

On Tuesday, he held a news conference to talk about how New Mexico can better help its veterans. Among other things, Richardson is seeking $2.5 million to help veterans service centers and health programs across the state.

“In the last week, the American people have been shocked and embarrassed by the horrendous conditions of facilities serving American soldiers wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq,” the second-term governor said.

Richardson’s office also announced Tuesday that another TV production will be filmed in New Mexico in late March. More than 60 feature films and TV series have been shot in the state since the governor took office in 2003, a fact he won’t hesitate to take credit for as an economic boon.

This one, Breaking Bad, is a one-hour drama about a high school chemistry teacher who receives a cancer diagnosis. Without fear of dying and looking for money to help his family, he gets involved in drugs.

There’s nothing public on Richardson’s schedule today, but he’ll have another bill signing ceremony Thursday, his office said.