 By October 1991 , Ferraro was ready to enter elective politics again , and ran for the Democratic nomination in the 1992 United States Senate election in New York . Her opponents were State Attorney General Robert Abrams , Reverend Al Sharpton , Congressman Robert J. Mrazek , and New York City Comptroller and former Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman . Abrams was considered the early front @-@ runner . The D 'Amato campaign feared facing Ferraro the most among these , as her Italian ancestry , effective debating and stump speech skills , and her staunch pro @-@ choice views would eat into several of D 'Amato 's usual bases of support . Ferraro emphasized her career as a teacher , prosecutor , congresswoman , and mother , and talked about how she was tough on crime . Ferraro drew renewed attacks during the primary campaign from the media and her opponents over Zaccaro 's finances and business relationships . She objected that a male candidate would not receive nearly as much attention regarding his wife 's activities . Ferraro became the front @-@ runner , capitalizing on her star power from 1984 , and using the campaign attacks against her as an explicitly feminist rallying point for women voters . As the primary date neared , her lead began to dwindle under the charges , and she released additional tax returns from the 1980s to try to defray the attacks . 
