Zephyr Teachout exits race for New York attorney general

Zephyr Teachout seen talking to a woman during her campaign.(Photo by Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Fordham University law professor Zephyr Teachout has officially dropped out of the race to be New York’s attorney general, days after incumbent Letitia James decided to seek reelection.

Teachout announced in a statement Sunday she was suspending her campaign and called James "an exceptional leader and dedicated public servant."

"I strongly support Attorney General James in her re-election and her critical fights to deliver justice for the people of New York," Teachout said.

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James announced she was running for governor in late October, but said last week she was suspending her campaign.

Teachout, a scholar on corruption and antitrust laws, lost the 2018 Democratic primary for attorney general to James. She also ran for the Democratic nomination for governor of New York in 2014, losing to Andrew Cuomo, and won the Democratic nomination for a Hudson Valley congressional seat in 2016 but lost to Republican John Faso in the general election.

She had said her priorities as attorney general would include fighting corruption and corporate abuse and defending civil rights.