Associated Press/The Sun News, Janet Blackmon Morgan

Team Sandtastic members draw a crowd as the faces of Democratic presidential candidates take shape at Myrtle Beach, S.C. The Mount Rushmore-style sand sculpture, completed on Friday, features the heads of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards.

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New Mexico is no longer observing the Democratic presidential race.

It's now an active participant.

Both leading contenders - Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama - will have campaign headquarters set up in the state by next week.

Obama will air the season's first presidential TV ad beginning today. And a spokeswoman for Clinton said Friday that the former first lady will make a personal appearance in New Mexico before the Feb. 5 caucus - she just didn't know when.

David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, said the Illinois senator had no organized campaign in New Mexico until Gov. Bill Richardson dropped out of the race a week ago.

It didn't take long for them to get started.

"When Governor Richardson withdrew from the campaign that day, we began organizing," Plouffe said during a conference call Friday with New Mexico reporters. "Governor Richardson was so strong in New Mexico."

Obama's campaign set up an Albuquerque office at 1000 Second St. N.W. last week. The campaign also has an office in Las Cruces and plans to open one next week in Santa Fe.

Plouffe said the campaign ad - featuring Obama's message on health care - begins airing in the Albuquerque TV market today. The campaign also made a cable ad buy that reaches statewide, he said.

Plouffe said Obama doesn't have any scheduled visits to New Mexico - one of 22 states holding Democratic caucuses on Feb. 5 - but that could change.

"We are going to try and get to as many February 5 states in that period as we can," Plouffe said. "You'll be hearing a lot from us in the next 16 days."

Clinton's campaign, meanwhile, had no details about when the senator would air TV ads in New Mexico, but she is planning to make a stop in the Land of Enchantment, said campaign spokeswoman Kathleen Strand.

The date has not been determined, she said.

The Clinton camp will open an Albuquerque office "within days," Strand said, though the location hasn't been announced.

"New Mexico is absolutely a priority to Senator Clinton," Strand said. "We're thrilled by the outpouring of support and momentum we're feeling that has surged since Governor Richardson announced his departure from the race."

The Clinton campaign had some successes in New Mexico since Richardson left the race.

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez have both endorsed Clinton, with Denish taking the role of chairwoman of the New Mexico for Hillary campaign.