FRONT ROYAL, Va. — White House party crasher and “The Real Housewives of D.C.” star Tareq Salahi is running for governor of Virginia, TMZ reported Wednesday.
Salahi, whose estranged wife Michaele left him last year for Journey guitarist Neal Schon, declared his candidacy for the post in the next election, to be held on Nov. 6, 2013, in an official document filed Tuesday.
He said he wants to use his experience as a reality TV star and vineyard owner to change the way things are run in Virginia.
“I am troubled to see how our current political figureheads continue to waste taxpayer dollars,” Tareq Salahi told the gossip site. “I’m a big believer in limited government — keeping taxes, regulation and litigation low — and if I do win, everyone is invited to crash the inauguration!”
The Salahis grabbed headlines around the world in 2009 when they crashed a state dinner at the White House.
The pair did one season of “The Real Housewives of D.C.,” which capitalized on their state dinner scandal and apparent love of the spotlight, before Michaele Salahi ran off with Schon last September.
Salahi, who filed for divorce soon after, is suing Schon for $50 million in damages, claiming he and his estranged wife were set to make a fortune from TV deals before the rocker came on the scene, according to TMZ.