Joe DioGuardi declared his candidacy for the U.S. Senate today, with the expectation of securing the Conservative and Independence Party lines by May.
Grand Central Terminal hosted DioGuardi's announcement and he had been on Fox and Friends this morning.
DioGuardi also projected he could raised a minimum of $10 million against Kirsten Gillibrand, whose embattled stances with Democrats and Republicans alike has earned her the nickname of "flip-flip" all over New York State.
Reuters and the Associated Press framed this as "Kara's dad" goes to Washington -- but DioGuardi is a former Congressman (1985-1989).
He was the youngest partner in the history of the accounting profession, a Knight of Malta and one of the first (and few) practicing Certified Public Accountants ever elected to Congress.
Bottom line: DioGuardi's credentials with the New York State Conservative Party are top-notch.
He is also extremely well-liked by Independence Party leaders. Reliable sources close to the Conservative Party counted 18 endorsements from party chairs or committees.
And the real measurable sense is that State GOP chair Ed Cox also respects DioGuardi -- and for reasons a lot of insiders won't admit openly.
In New York, those who have been betrayed by the prior political establishments remains an exclusive (but growing) club. Cox and DioGuardi are survivors. There's an empathy here that D'Amato, Inc. can't diminish.
Finally, DioGuardi never sold out as a D.C. lobbyist, never cashed in as a D.C. insider (Joe's always been the consumate "OUTSIDER") -- and this hyperbolic type-a self-starter can raise money -- along with being a team player for a lot of Republicans around New York State.
DioGuardi's brings a Bronx cheer with an attitude.
Newsday emphasized DioGuardi's finanical acumen.
Most New York news outlets won't take Kara DioGuardi's father seriously until the country sees him a few times on national news shows. One of the reasons New York State is in such bad shape is that the news media here has an insider's habit of discounting anyone daring to disagree with the establishment.
The Daily News covered Kara but was only due to the first volley of questions being about DioGuardi's daughter.
As would be expected by the liberal New York press, Gawker beat up BOTH DioGuardi and his daughter.
"Kara, one of the most obviously insecure people on television, is a judge on the popular television show American Idol, where she is generally considered an unpleasant usurper whose need for attention constantly distracts from the performances of the actual contestants."
Kara DioGuardi was a Duke University graduate with honors -- successful in the publishing industry with Billboard magazine, highly respected in the music industry as a songwriter and singer (literally one of the key "go to" people in music studios around the world) and already one of the single most recognizable (and beloved) faces in the music business BEFORE she joined American Idol.
New York Magazine called Joe DioGuardi's step into statewide campaign an audition -- but gave him a fair shake.
He's a certified CPA and a government-spending watchdog, and sounded a lot like a die-hard tea partier when he announced his candidacy at Grand Central Station this morning. "Are you ready to take your country back!?!" he shouted. "The new tyranny is Washington and Albany!"
News Copy will have more about the other candidates in this race at a later date, including David Malpass and Dan Senor.
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