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Friday, February 17, 2006

McCall Endorses O'Donnell In Attorney General Race

By Jonathan P. Hicks

H. Carl McCall, the former New York State comptroller and 2002 Democratic nominee for governor, yesterday bypassed some better-known candidates in the race for attorney general and endorsed Denise O'Donnell, a Buffalo resident and the former United States attorney for the Western District of New York.

Mr. McCall called her "the best qualified candidate in the race." He said that her experience as a prosecutor and a manager of lawyers made her the best candidate. "I looked at all the candidates, and all of them are excellent people," Mr. McCall said, standing with Ms. O'Donnell outside State Supreme Court on Foley Square in Lower Manhattan." But only Denise O'Donnell is a career prosecutor with the skill set it's going to take to be an effective advocate for the people of New York."

Many Democrats looking for a more balanced ticket have put Ms. O'Donnell's candidacy under the political spotlight after Eliot Spitzer, the state attorney general and a Democratic candidate for governor, selected State Senator David A. Paterson of Harlem to run as lieutenant governor. Both of them are from New York City, whereas Ms. O'Donnell is a woman from another part of the state. Mr. McCall has long made it clear that he would not endorse the candidate who has so far led the field in fund-raising, Andrew M. Cuomo, the former housing secretary in the Clinton administration. Four years ago, Mr. McCall was New York's first black major party nominee for governor, and Mr. Cuomo challenged him for the Democratic nomination.

Mr. McCall and his supporters have criticized Mr. Cuomo as the spoiler in that campaign, diverting attention and money from the race against Gov. George E. Pataki and dividing the Democratic Party.

Mr. Cuomo abruptly pulled out of the race a week before the primary, avoiding what polls indicated would have been a searing defeat at the hands of Mr. McCall.

Shortly after Mr. McCall's endorsement of Ms. O'Donnell, Mr. Cuomo was endorsed a few blocks away by Adolfo Carrion Jr., the Bronx borough president. Speaking on the steps of City Hall, Mr. Carrion praised Mr. Cuomo, the son of former Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, as a person who "represents the best of a new generation of leaders who will lead our state toward growth and opportunity."

In addition to Mr. Cuomo and Ms. O'Donnell, the other candidates for the Democratic nomination for attorney general are Mark Green, the former New York City public advocate; Assemblyman Richard L. Brodsky; Charlie King, a two-time candidate for lieutenant governor who is head of a nonprofit group that provides housing for the homeless; and Sean P. Maloney, a former aide to Bill Clinton.

Jeanine F. Pirro, the former Westchester County district attorney, is running as a Republican for attorney general.