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It's a rare and brave celebrity who'll cop to conservative political views in lefty Hollywood. Admittedly, they do exist (like the governor himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger). But on Tinseltown's list of no-no's, voting Republican is second only to gaining weight, or aging poorly.
So what's a TV star to do if her dad is a fiscally conservative Republican who's running for political office? American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi is figuring that out right now.
In interviews, Kara has cheered on her 69-year-old father, Joe DioGuardi, a former GOP congressman from Westchester County, NY. (He's now running for a Senate seat representing New York.) "He has more energy than anyone I know," she told the New York Post. "When he is working, he is Superman." But asked about her own party affiliation, she demurred. "I vote based on the candidate," she said. When pressed, she treaded carefully: "To me, it's not whether he's a Republican or Democrat, or if I'm a Republican or Democrat," she said. "We don't always agree on every issue. But no matter what our differences are, I love him."
The truth is, Idol fans outside of New York probably won't hear much about Kara's dad -- unless his Senate race features a scandal along the way. But the outspoken 39-year-old's celebrity could benefit him. "My daughter played a very nice role in my campaign," Joe told Brian Kilmeade and Alisyn Camerota of Fox & Friends. "And she's encouraged me to do it." On the other hand, his famous daughter could be a distraction. Later in the interview, when Kilmeade and Camerota continued to focus only on Kara, Joe said, "What am I, chopped liver?"
But having a daughter on Fox's American Idol didn't hurt Republican senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts. His daughter Ayla was a contestant who placed in the Top 16 on Idol's Season 5. Kara might just be Dad's lucky charm.
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