DioGuardi wins Republican nod for NY Sen. Gillibrand’s seat in 3-way primary.

DioGuardi wins NY GOP nod for Sen. Gillibrand seat

NEW YORK — Joseph DioGuardi has won a three-way Republican primary election in a bid to unseat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.

The former congressman from suburban Westchester County faces a Democrat with a wide lead in the polls and far more campaign cash.

The win is a turnaround for DioGuardi, who had to petition his way on to the ballot after failing to muster enough party support at the state convention.

DioGuardi defeated Bruce Blakeman, a former Long Island local lawmaker, and David Malpass, a former Bear Stearns chief economist.

He is the father of former “American Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

NEW YORK (AP) — Communications consultant Jay Townsend has won the Republican primary for a Senate seat in New York in an underdog bid to unseat Sen. Charles Schumer.

Townsend defeated former CIA officer Gary Berntsen in Tuesday’s election. Townsend is a longtime communications consultant from Cornwall-on-Hudson in Orange County.

He faces a tough campaign against Schumer. The two-term Democrat has polled far ahead of Townsend and recently reported $23.2 million in campaign funds, compared with less than $11,000 for Townsend.