With cameras in tow, Tareq Salahi kicks off underdog bid for Governor's mansion Sept. 16
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Alleged White House gatecrasher and Real Housewives of D.C. star Tareq Salahi will have his entire gubernatorial campaign taped for a reality documentary to air after the November election, according to campaign officials.
It is perhaps the first-ever statewide political campaign filmed for an independent reality show. Public taping will begin at a campaign kickoff at Salahi's Linden, Va. home Sept. 16.
Although he and his ex-wife and Real Housewives reality tv co-star Michaele refused to answer questions before a congressional panel probing their attendance at President Obama's first state dinner, Mr. Salahi appears to have come around to embrace the incident that immediately thrust him into the national spotlight and global stage. The event is being billed as the "Crash the Candidate BBQ." In addition to the media and a camera crew of four, the event offers "entertainment, a DJ, and a Hollywood green screen photo op." Further homage to the state dinner incident can be found in his campaign website's name: crashthevote.com
The film is tentatively called In It To Win It and is being produced by veteran PBS executive John Campbell who now runs his own production company. In a statement Campbell said he approached Salahi about doing the project not out of any political motivation but rather to focus on the human interest element. "Here we have a guy who's triumphs and tribulations have been aired globally... and he could have easily hidden for a few years... yet he didn't," Campbell said.
It is his first political film. Campbell's previous documentaries have focused on a diverse range of topics from U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds to a Canadian folk/rock band to a trip through the Adirondacks in a 1976 motor home.
Salahi concedes that one of his motivations to run for governor occurred in April when one of his potential opponents, Va. Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli announced a lawsuit alleging that Salahi's wine tour company had violated the Virginia Consumer Protection Act, a charge Salahi says he denies. Salahi filed paperwork to enter the Republican primary the next day. Salahi's spokesman Eric Miller "took a shot at Cuccinelli" in a statement to CNN, saying the attorney general had wasted "huge sums of taxpayer dollars on witch hunt type investigations," including the lawsuit.
Salahi says he plans to announce major pillars of his campaign platform at the BBQ kickoff but says that a large focus will be on supporting the military, both as an economic force in the state and of course the troops as well as boosting Virginia's small businesses including the agriculture industry and the economy in general. Salahi's family has decades of experience in the wine trade.
Salahi currently has two co-managers for the campaign, one of whom is a former DoD staffer, Mark Vargas and the other a former White House staffer during the Reagan administration, Andrea Ross.
Ross said the filmmakers aren't paying for any of the campaign expenses and that royalties to Salahi, if any, will likely come after the election when the movie will air on an unnamed national television network or cable channel.
Ross describes herself as a fairly private person and isn't quite sure what to expect when she ends up on a TV show. "This isn't Real Housewives and I am not a drama queen. This is a serious business to us. We're looking forward to getting out there and meeting people and getting people enthusiastic about not just the democratic process but about Virginia and her future. People havent seen this side of Tareq before," she said. "Most people don't even know that he has deep political roots in Virginia and has served three different Governors both Republican and Democrat."
Ross says for now they are focused on the kickoff event. "We are all looking forward to having people in the local community be a part of this. Anyone in the local community. There is going to be a national television show and they are a part of what we booted a king out to be able to do," she said.
"We are excited for them to be a part of that. Let's face it, it is an exciting thing."
The campaign event is Sunday, September 16th at 5 pm at 440 Scenic Overlook Drive, Linden, Va. For more information visit the website crashthevote.com
editor@warrencountyreport.com