Kara 'Idol'-izes possible NY senate candidate dad
TV star boosts Senate bid
Last Updated: 12:22 PM, March 14, 2010
Posted: 3:59 AM, March 14, 2010
Comments: 17
PrintShe'll sing her dad's praises if he runs for US Senate.
"American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi thinks her father, a former GOP congressman from Westchester County, will beat the competition for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's seat.
Joe DioGuardi, 69, is expected to make a formal announcement Tuesday in Grand Central Terminal.
"He's my father, and of course I'm supportive of him. He always encouraged me in my dreams," Kara DioGuardi told The Post.
"We don't always agree on every issue. But no matter what our differences are, I love him. He has more energy than anyone I know. When he is working, he is Superman."
DioGuardi believes her dad has a good shot at winning.
She recalled that when she was a teen growing up in New Rochelle, her fiscally conservative dad showed her the congressional ID card he used to cast votes.
"This is the most expensive credit card in the world. You don't have to be accountable," he told her.
"In essence, he was saying the card allows you to spend money," DioGuardi explained.
"He always said the deficit was way more than what they [Congress] said, and 25 years later, he has been proven right. We need people who know about spending."
DioGuardi wouldn't disclose her party registration.
"To me, it's not whether he's a Republican or Democrat or if I'm a Republican or Democrat. We have our opinions," she said. "I vote based on the candidate."
Though she's glad to speak up for her father, she laments she won't be able to campaign for him.
"If I have one more job, I will fall apart," the "American Idol" judge and songwriter laughed.
Besides, she said, "I live in California now."
Joe DioGuardi, an accountant, lost his seat in Congress to Nita Lowey, a Democrat, in 1988.
He's expected to join Nassau County lawmaker Bruce Blakeman and economic expert David Malpass in a GOP primary.
If elected, he wouldn't be the first GOP senator with an offspring connected to "Idol." Kayla Brown, daughter of newly elected Scott Brown of Massachusetts, competed on the show when she was 17.
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Comments (15)
Post Your Commentbobbiewick
03/15/2010 1:20 PM
"When Joe DioGuardi goes to Washington, it won't just be sending a message-- he will actually accomplish something."
How can DioGuardi accomplish anything in Washington as a 70-year-old codger with no seniority, who was tossed out of office by the voters 20 years ago?
This is just another boring and non-viable "vanity candidacy".
DioGuardi is micturating in our ears and wasting our time. And most of the coverage is about his daughter, the C-list celebrity.
bobbiewick
03/15/2010 9:18 AM
The Senate is not a retirement home for celebrity relatives. Dioguardi needs to retire. He's too old to be a first-term Senator.
And the Post needs to inform its readers about the importance of seniority in the Senate, and its value to New York State.
puck101
03/15/2010 5:05 AM
Never watched that inane show, never heard of this broad , but if she has anything to do with the show-biz , her comments don't belong on any venue of a serious nature.
queencarlac
03/14/2010 11:38 PM
Great words from Kara and just like her, the state is ready for a take charge guy like Joe DioGuardi. I'm like many, who's heard repeatedly in the news about debt, economy, unemployment; finally someone like Joe, who's got the experience and knowledge, is ready for the call to duty and move about the issues.
MadCharles
03/14/2010 11:27 PM
SEND HIM MONEY
JSellNYC
03/14/2010 8:04 PM
I didn't know that Joe was Kara's father, seeing she was a Duke graduate and even on Idol, I can see where she gets her charm and whit from. Joe DioGuardi certainly has the credentials to make an ideal candidate for U.S. Senate. One of his priorities being fiscal policy just gives him a definite in, because so many Americans are concerned with money, jobs, and national debt. This news is great and as a New Yorker I'm ready for change to happen! He's got my vote!
bobo_420
03/14/2010 7:58 PM
HOT HOT HOT
Chappakwack
03/14/2010 7:32 PM
DioGuardi and his wife Shirley stopped state-sponsored terrorism and testified at the Hague at the trial of Slobodan Milosevic.