Janet Reno backs O'Donnell


in N.Y. attorney general race

May 8, 2006, 6:41 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) _ Democratic attorney general candidate Denise O'Donnell on Monday picked up the endorsement of former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, who praised O'Donnell's experience fighting crime and gun violence during her years as a federal prosecutor in western New York.

"It's extremely important that we have in these offices across the country people who understand you can make a difference with respect to crime," Reno said at a news conference.

O'Donnell served as a U.S. attorney under Reno in the Department of Justice during the Clinton administration and was a member of Reno's advisory committee.

At the news conference, O'Donnell announced an eight-point proposal to reduce gun violence. She recommended imposing tougher penalties for criminals who use firearms during violent crimes and requiring all gun-related incidents in schools to the attorney general's office.

Asked if she were actively seeking the endorsement of New York's current attorney general, Democrat Eliot Spitzer, O'Donnell said, "I admire him, and he admires me."

"Eliot Spitzer recognizes that I'm a prosecutor who has a lot of experience," O'Donnell said. "He has a lot of respect for the work I've done."

An endorsement from the popular Spitzer, who is stepping down after two terms to run for governor, would be a crucial boost for any candidate running to succeed him. Other Democrats in the field include former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo, son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo; former New York City Public Advocate Mark Green; state Assemblyman Richard Brodsky; housing advocate Charlie King and former President Clinton's aide Sean Patrick Maloney.

Former Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro is the only Republican in the field.