By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – It's been a few days since former US Attorney Denise O'Donnell of Buffalo announced her withdrawal from the race for state attorney general. Wednesday, she sat down with WBFO's Mark Scott to talk about her decision.
It was just over a year ago that Denise O'Donnell announced her candidacy for attorney general -- the first of the five candidates to do so. Since then, she spent her time traveling across New York, building support.
But when former US Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo entered the race, he became the front-runner. And last week, he was designated the party's choice for attorney general by delegates attending the state Democratic convention in Buffalo.
There were initial indications that O'Donnell would continue on. But in the end, she decided not to.
"I decided that, rather than engage in a divisive and very difficult primary, it would be better to end our campaign at this time," O'Donnell said.
Still, O'Donnell admits it was one of the most difficult decisions she ever made.
Wednesday, the man she had hoped to succeed, gubernatorial candidate Eliot Spitzer, came to Buffalo where he announced O'Donnell will serve as a policy adviser to his campaign.
"I have every intention of relying on Denise for her wisdom when it comes to criminal justice matters and issues relating to homeland security," Spitzer said. "She has enormous integrity and the virtues one looks for in an advisor."
Spitzer refused to discuss if O'Donnell would be considered for a post in his administration if he's elected. As for O'Donnell herself, she said running for another elective office is something she is not ruling out.
"I loved being a candidate and speaking out on important issues," O'Donnell said.
But one thing she is not speaking out on is her choice for attorney general. O'Donnell says for now, she is not endorsing any of the four candidates running in September's Democratic primary.