NORTH GREENBUSH – Rensselaer County Democrats are counting on suburban candidate Mary Pat Donnelly to win back the district attorney’s office from the Republican incumbent who is a defendant in a criminal trial set to start in two weeks.

“We don’t need someone with their name in the paper because they’re indicted on a felony perjury charge,” Laura Jordan of Schodack, an attorney, said in her nomination speech for Donnelly.

Donnelly accepted the nomination, telling the Democratic committee members at the American Legion hall that she’s excited to start door-to-door campaigning Tuesday, the first day that party nominating petitions can be circulated for signatures.

“There is an absolute need for change. I look forward to being the vehicle for that change,” said Donnelly, who resigned as an East Greenbush town justice to campaign.

Incumbent District Attorney Joel E. Abelove has maintained his innocence as he heads toward a June 20 trial for a felony perjury count and two counts of official misconduct, a misdemeanor, for his handling of a fatal Troy police-involved shooting of a driver in April of 2016.

The district attorney said previously the charges being prosecuted by the state Attorney General’s Office are defensible. Abelove is awaiting the judge’s ruling on his defense team’s motions to dismiss the charges in Rensselaer County Court.

Donnelly is an enrolled Independence Party member. She comes from a stalwart family of county Democrats. Her father Tim Murphy served as county Democratic chairman and her mother Toni Murphy is the East Greenbush receiver of taxes.

County Democratic Chairman Michael Monescalchi said Donnelly’s status as an Independence Party member will make it easier to secure a spot in that party's September primary, possibly offsetting the Republican’s hold on the line. The Independence line helped provide Abelove the margin of victory in his 2014 election win.

The Democrats have won two of the last three district attorney races and barely lost to Abelove in the third. The Democrats have an enrollment edge over the Republicans, but have not always been able to beat the GOP strategy of securing as many as minority party lines as possible to earn victories in countywide and local races.

“Our party is really enthusiastic that we’re going to take back the district attorney’s office,” Monescalchi said.

Donnelly has crossover appeal to non-Democrats, Monescalchi said, due to her roots in East Greenbush, the county’s most populous suburban community; her Independence enrollment; and her judicial experience in East Greenbush Town Court and as a staff attorney in the Albany City Courts.

Donnelly is expected to have the Working Families Party nomination in addition to the Democratic nod, while Abelove has the Republican endorsement for re-election and is anticipated to have the Conservative line. The Independence line would shape up for a primary fight.

Donnelly said her campaign will build on issues of speedy trial deadlines missed by the district attorney’s office, the large staff turnover and a lack of public confidence in the office and its administration. She said her first fundraiser last week took in about $16,000.

In other endorsements, the county Democrats backed Tistrya Houghtling, the New Lebanon town clerk, for the 107th Assembly District race over Dom Boyajian of Washington County; they backed Aaron Gladd of Brunswick for the 43rd Senate District; supported State Senator Neil Breslin, D-Bethlehem, for re-election in the 44th Senate District; and backed Assemblyman John T. McDonald III, D-Cohoes, for re-election to the 108th Assembly District seat.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the party nominations Rensselaer County District Attorney candidate Mary Pat Donnelly is expected to receive. She is expected to get the backing of the Democratic and Working Families parties.