Former Rep. Joseph DioGuardi of New York won the Republican nomination to take on Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in November’s election.
With 85 percent of the precincts counted in yesterday’s primary, DioGuardi had 42 percent of the vote, according to the Associated Press. David Malpass, a former Bear Stearns Cos. chief economist, had 38 percent and Bruce Blakeman, a lawyer, had 20 percent.
DioGuardi, 69, represented the northern New York City suburbs in the House from 1985 to 1989. He and Gillibrand, 43, are running to serve the two years remaining in the term won in 2006 by Hillary Clinton, who President Barack Obama named in 2009 to serve as U.S. secretary of state.
DioGuardi also is the nominee of New York’s Conservative Party. His daughter Kara, a singer-songwriter, was a judge on the “American Idol” television show.
Gillibrand defeated lawyer Gail Goode in the Democratic primary.
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