ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – Jeanine Pirro pulled the plug Wednesday on her struggling campaign for the Republican nomination to challenge Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2006 re-election bid and said she will run instead for state attorney general.

The high-profile 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.

“Today, after consultation with the leaders of my party, particularly Governor Pataki, Senator Bruno, Chairman Minarik, and leaders of the Conservative and Independence parties, I have decided that my law enforcement background better qualifies me for a race for New York State attorney general than a race for the United States Senate,” Pirro said in a statement issued by her campaign.

“I have spent my entire career in law enforcement and as my tenure as Westchester district attorney comes to a close, I have concluded that my head and my heart remain in law enforcement, and that my public service should continue to be in that arena,” Pirro added.

The move leaves Republicans with two active candidates for the Senate nomination, former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer, who is not well known statewide, and an even less well known tax attorney from Sullivan County, William Brenner.

Some supporters expect Manhattan lawyer Edward Cox, a son-in-law of the late President Richard Nixon, to consider re-entering the race. Cox halted his campaign for the Senate nomination in October after Republican Gov. George Pataki announced his endorsement of Pirro.

The state attorney general’s job is opening up next year because the Democratic incumbent, Eliot Spitzer, is running for governor. Pataki has decided not to seek a fourth term.

Several other Republicans, including state Sen. Michael Balboni of Long Island and Chauncey Parker, Pataki’s criminal justice coordinator, have already expressed an interest in running for attorney general. At least a half dozen Democrats, including former federal Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo and former New York City Public Advocate Mark Green, are seeking the Democratic nomination for attorney general.

Republicans sought to portray Pirro’s decision in a favorable light.

“Today’s announcement from Jeanine Pirro is great news for the Republican Party, and bad news for Mark Green and Andrew Cuomo,” said Minarik.

Democrats had a different view.

“Jeanine Pirro’s abrupt departure from this race demonstrates the difficulties any challenger will have in facing an incumbent with Senator Clinton’s outstanding five-year record,” said state Democratic Chairman Herman Farrell.

“If what we’ve seen from Pirro so far is any indication of what’s to come, Democrats should be thrilled that she has decided to continue running for statewide office,” said lawyer Charlie King, one of the Democrats running for attorney general.

King said Pirro should ask her Senate race donors if they want their money back. State law allows Pirro to transfer almost all that money to an attorney general’s race.

“Pirro collected the money under false pretenses, and the least she can do is let donors decide if they want to back her latest political misadventure,” King added.

The Clinton campaign reacted cautiously.

“We know at some point the Republicans will sort out this process and choose a nominee,” said Clinton adviser Howard Wolfson.

Pataki’s endorsement was the high point for a troubled Pirro campaign that began in August. At her campaign announcement, a page of her speech was misplaced and she was left speechless for 32 seconds. Her campaign had trouble gaining any traction against the popular Clinton and difficulty raising money.

Independent polls have shown the former first lady, and potential 2008 presidential contender, with huge leads over Pirro and the other potential GOP challengers. And, as of the end of September, Clinton had about $14 million in her campaign account.

Pirro, a supporter of abortion and gay rights, also had major problems in her attempts to court support from the leaders of the state Conservative Party. No Republican running statewide in New York has won without Conservative Party support since 1974.

Michael Long, the Conservative Party state chairman, noted Wednesday that he had always urged Pirro to run for state attorney general rather than Senate.

While Long had earlier said Pirro was hurting her chances of winning his party’s support for an attorney general run by not exiting the Senate race, he said Wednesday that she still has a chance at it.

“She has been wounded, but it’s early enough for her to overcome a lot of things,” Long said.

Long has been supportive of both Cox and Spencer, who are more conservative than Pirro.

Green made it clear Pirro would have no easy time of it if she became the GOP nominee for attorney general.

“It is a disqualifying flip-flop to first say you don’t want to be attorney general and then change your mind only when bosses in the back room twist your arm,” said Green, who narrowly lost the New York City mayor’s race to Republican Michael Bloomberg in 2001.

Polls have shown Pirro trailing well behind both Green and Cuomo, the elder son of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for governor in 2002, in possible attorney general matchups.