Nick Di Iorio may have to settle for the TV screen instead of the U.S. House floor.
The long-shot candidate running for Congress in New York’s 12th Congressional District is aiming to get his own reality show about his campaign. Di Iorio’s campaign manager, Joseph Shippee, said the campaign has been contacted by TV producers. He also said the show might air on the Esquire Network.
Shippee told the New York Daily News that the producers are “interested in exploring the motivations, trials, and tribulations of some candidates running in races considered unwinnable.”
Di Iorio is running against Carolyn Maloney, the incumbent Democrat who has served in Congress for over 20 years.
In a letter to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Shippee said the show would “feature two congressional candidates running in districts where their odds of winning are very low.” He did not name the other potential candidate.
There’s no shortage of possible co-stars. The Cook Political Report lists 358 Congressional elections as solid seats for this year’s U.S. House elections, leaving scores of “unwinnable” candidates.
Before the show would run on television, Di Iorio had to receive permission from the FEC. In an opinion released Monday, the FEC gave the campaign the go-ahead as long as Di Iorio doesn’t get paid for the show. Earning money from the show would violate the FEC’s rules regarding candidates receiving “anything of value” from corporations.
Di Iorio could gain publicity and name recognition from a reality show, but such benefits would fall under the FEC’s media exemption.
As for now, the reality show seems to be a long shot like Di Iorio’s campaign. A spokeswoman from Esquire Network told The Washington Post the show “is not being developed or produced by Esquire Network.”
