NEW YORK (CNN) - Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry picked up the endorsement of the New York attorney general famous for tackling Wall Street wrongdoing Monday even as rivals attacked his campaign contributions from Washington lobbyists.
New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer endorsed Kerry, a senator from Massachusetts, a day before Tuesday's Democratic presidential contests in seven states.
"This is somebody who knows how to stand up for you and me, who knows how to push back against special interests, who knows how to stand up when matters of ethics and integrity come to the fore," Spitzer told a crowd at a Kerry campaign event in Albuquerque, N.M.
The seven Democrats vying for the chance to face President Bush in November will compete in primaries in South Carolina, Missouri, Delaware, Arizona and Oklahoma, while Democrats in New Mexico and North Dakota will choose delegates in caucuses.
According to polls conducted by CNN and the Los Angeles Times late last week, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards leads Kerry by a 12-point margin in Edwards' native South Carolina, while Kerry has 26-point lead over Edwards in Missouri and a 7-point lead over retired Gen. Wesley Clark in Arizona.
In Oklahoma, Clark had a slight lead in published polls, while Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman said he was concentrating on Delaware's primary.
Dean, the onetime front-runner, has largely written off Tuesday's contests to focus on the Michigan caucuses on Saturday and the Wisconsin primary on Feb. 17.
Meanwhile, Lieberman -- who skipped Iowa and placed fifth in New Hampshire -- said he intends to win one state Tuesday to keep his campaign alive.
CNN Correspondent Kelly Wallace and Senior Producer Phil Hirschkorn contributed to this report.
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