After weeks of pressure from her own party to drop out, Republican Jeanine Pirro abandoned her struggling campaign to unseat Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and announced Wednesday that she will run for New York attorney general instead.

Westchester County district attorney has been under pressure from top state GOP leaders, including state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and state Republican Chairman Stephen Minarik, to make the switch. In a statement issued by her campaign, Pirro says her law enforcement background will be better suited for the position of attorney general. She adds that her heart and head remain in law enforcement and she wants to continue her public service in that arena.

The move leaves Republicans with two active candidates for the Senate nomination, former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer and a tax attorney from Sullivan County, William Brenner.

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