In the crowded Democratic race for attorney general, Denise O'Donnell stands out: she is the only woman among the five candidates, and the only western New Yorker in a contest dominated by downstaters.
Denise O'Donnell emphasizes that she is the only woman and western New Yorker among the Democrats running for attorney general.
As the race nears a critical phase, Ms. O'Donnell, a former federal prosecutor from the Buffalo area, has increasingly highlighted those distinctions, using a strategy that focuses on courting upstate voters and women.
The strategy appears to be paying off, as she has been endorsed recently by the Democratic organization in Broome County and some smaller political clubs in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens as well as the chairman of the Democratic organization in Columbia County.
They are small endorsements, to be sure. The support she has received has come nowhere near the political endorsements racked up by the two candidates who have dominated the race: Andrew M. Cuomo, the former federal housing secretary, and Mark Green, the former New York City public advocate. Just yesterday, Mr. Cuomo picked up the backing of the Westchester County Democrats.
Nonetheless, Ms. O'Donnell said her endorsements were crucial elements that, when woven together, would enable her to win the support of 25 percent of the delegates at the state party's convention in Buffalo at the end of this month, enough to put her on the primary ballot in September.
"I think I absolutely have a good shot of getting the 25 percent," Ms. O'Donnell said in an interview on Monday after arriving at Kennedy International Airport from Buffalo. "Although it's a very fluid situation, I think we are moving in the right direction. More and more people are recognizing that, if they want an alternative, a real prosecutor, that I am a strong candidate. I am picking up momentum outside of western New York."
Ms. O'Donnell, who is making her first run for public office, is known far less than many of her rivals and has raised considerably less money than Mr. Cuomo, who also leads in early polls. Still, she said, voters and politicians throughout the state "are beginning to understand that there is a benefit to have a candidate who has the best professional credentials who is a woman and the only upstate candidate running in the Democratic Party this year."
In the last few days, the candidates have been assessing how to capitalize on the withdrawal of Assemblyman Richard L. Brodsky, a Westchester Democrat. Mr. Brodsky ended his campaign on Thursday, saying he had to prepare to be a kidney donor for his teenage daughter.
Ms. O'Donnell said some who endorsed Mr. Brodsky were likely to support her candidacy, but she was not the only one making such claims. Another candidate, Charlie King, said that he, too, had benefited from Mr. Brodsky's withdrawal.
"There were state committee people who were with Richard that are now with me," said Mr. King, a two-time candidate for lieutenant governor who is chief executive of a nonprofit group that provides housing for the homeless. "We've picked up some Brodsky support across Westchester, and that generates momentum for our campaign as we head into the convention."
To get on the ballot, candidates must have the support of 25 percent of the convention delegates, a goal Mr. Cuomo is widely believed to have reached. Under the guidelines, candidates who do not earn 25 percent must undertake the expensive and difficult alternative of a statewide petition drive to get on the ballot.