Daniel Vovak
Encyclopedia
Daniel "The Wig Man" Vovak (May 15, 1972 May 21, 2011) was a comedy writer and satirist perhaps best known for his tongue-in-cheek political Republican
candidacies and for The Blue Dress, a movie script he wrote about the Monica Lewinsky scandal and which he was reportedly producing as a movie. He also was a ghostwriter
. Vovak was an elected member of the Montgomery County
Republican Central Committee, serving at-large
in Maryland
's largest county.
at the age of 20 from Baldwin–Wallace College
, majoring in Business, Psychology, and Communications. Vovak is the author of a book entitled Will You Run for President?. He lived in Bethesda, Maryland
.
when in 2003 he focused on the states of Iowa
, Connecticut
, Ohio
, and Texas
. After entering the contest against George W. Bush
, Iowa's Governor Tom Vilsack
jestfully labeled Vovak "an invader from the East" as Vovak, sporting his white wig, fired a question to the Governor during the Iowa Press Convention.
Vovak ran on the campaign theme of "Small Ideas for America" and drove a truck he named "Air Ford One", making people laugh on the campaign trail as he criss-crossed various states. Vovak's presidential campaign essentially ended on January 11, 2004 when he was ejected from the final Democratic presidential debate. On January 19, he was defeated in the Iowa Caucus by the President.
In July 2004, Vovak entered the U.S. Senate contest in Illinois
, seeking the Republican nomination after Jack Ryan withdrew. He was interviewed to run against Barack Obama
during a special meeting of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee in the 2004 Illinois Senate election. Alan Keyes
was picked to run.
On October 13–17, 2005, Vovak organized the "3rd Party National Conference" in Manchester, New Hampshire
, which 19 political parties
attended.
On September 12, 2006, Vovak was a Republican candidate on the primary ballot in Maryland
, receiving 4,063 votes and placing fourth among ten candidates as he lost to Michael Steele.http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2006/results/primary/office_US_Senator.html
In November 2009, Vovak ran for Maryland Republican Chairman but lost to Audrey Scott.
On September 14, 2010, Vovak received 31% of the vote in the Republican primary
for County Executive of Montgomery County, Maryland
.
In his campaigns, Vovak expressed a variety of wry political viewpoints and opinions. For example, Vovak desires to have Tax Day
the day before election day to "motivate voters to vote based on their tax bills". He believes the Maryland State Flag is ugly; he counseled leniency towards Paris Hilton
's legal troubles, and believes Pluto
should be renamed a planet. In his campaign vs. Michael Steele, Vovak hired a psychic
campaign manager, joking "My volunteer campaign staff deduced it was less expensive to hire a psychic campaign manager who would curse Michael Steele, than to spend a half million dollars on consultants. Nancy Reagan used a psychic, and I admire her. We got a good deal on a great psychic."
In his 2004 campaign Vovak said that he had "three small ideas" and he didn't know if he "could handle four". His ideas were border control
, controlling judges, and canceling the White House's subscription to The New York Times
.
Vovak regularly wore a wig in his public appearances. According to his website, Vovak wore the wig because:
Vovak's nickname, "The Wig Man", was bestowed by John DiStaso
, senior political reporter at the New Hampshire Union Leader
.
was hired as an intern
at the White House
, through January 1998, after Matt Drudge
reported President
Bill Clinton
's affair and the Lewinsky scandal
.
Vovak was casting actors in Washington, D.C.
, as of October 2008. Paula Jones
confirmed she would play herself in the movie and would do an event for the Maryland Republican Party
to publicize it.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidacies and for The Blue Dress, a movie script he wrote about the Monica Lewinsky scandal and which he was reportedly producing as a movie. He also was a ghostwriter
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
. Vovak was an elected member of the Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
Republican Central Committee, serving at-large
At-Large
At-large is a designation for representative members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body , rather than a subset of that membership...
in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
's largest county.
Background
Vovak was raised in Sheffield Lake, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his B.A.Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
at the age of 20 from Baldwin–Wallace College
Baldwin–Wallace College
Baldwin–Wallace College is a liberal arts college in Berea, Ohio, founded in 1845. It is home to the Riemenschneider-Bach Institute and the Baldwin–Wallace Conservatory of Music, an internationally renowned music school. The college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Students receive a...
, majoring in Business, Psychology, and Communications. Vovak is the author of a book entitled Will You Run for President?. He lived in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
.
Political and satirical activity
Vovak claimed to be the youngest ever Republican candidate (31 years of age) to run for President of the United StatesPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
when in 2003 he focused on the states of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. After entering the contest against George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, Iowa's Governor Tom Vilsack
Tom Vilsack
Thomas James "Tom" Vilsack is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and presently the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. He served as the 40th Governor of the state of Iowa. He was first elected in 1998 and re-elected to a second four-year term in 2002...
jestfully labeled Vovak "an invader from the East" as Vovak, sporting his white wig, fired a question to the Governor during the Iowa Press Convention.
Vovak ran on the campaign theme of "Small Ideas for America" and drove a truck he named "Air Ford One", making people laugh on the campaign trail as he criss-crossed various states. Vovak's presidential campaign essentially ended on January 11, 2004 when he was ejected from the final Democratic presidential debate. On January 19, he was defeated in the Iowa Caucus by the President.
In July 2004, Vovak entered the U.S. Senate contest in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, seeking the Republican nomination after Jack Ryan withdrew. He was interviewed to run against Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
during a special meeting of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee in the 2004 Illinois Senate election. Alan Keyes
Alan Keyes
Alan Lee Keyes is an American conservative political activist, author, former diplomat, and perennial candidate for public office. A doctoral graduate of Harvard University, Keyes began his diplomatic career in the U.S...
was picked to run.
On October 13–17, 2005, Vovak organized the "3rd Party National Conference" in Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
, which 19 political parties
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
attended.
On September 12, 2006, Vovak was a Republican candidate on the primary ballot in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, receiving 4,063 votes and placing fourth among ten candidates as he lost to Michael Steele.http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2006/results/primary/office_US_Senator.html
In November 2009, Vovak ran for Maryland Republican Chairman but lost to Audrey Scott.
On September 14, 2010, Vovak received 31% of the vote in the Republican primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
for County Executive of Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
.
In his campaigns, Vovak expressed a variety of wry political viewpoints and opinions. For example, Vovak desires to have Tax Day
Tax Day
In the United States, Tax Day is a colloquial term for the day on which individual income tax returns are due to the federal government. The term may also refer to the same day for states, even where the tax return due date is a different day....
the day before election day to "motivate voters to vote based on their tax bills". He believes the Maryland State Flag is ugly; he counseled leniency towards Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
's legal troubles, and believes Pluto
Pluto
Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun...
should be renamed a planet. In his campaign vs. Michael Steele, Vovak hired a psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
campaign manager, joking "My volunteer campaign staff deduced it was less expensive to hire a psychic campaign manager who would curse Michael Steele, than to spend a half million dollars on consultants. Nancy Reagan used a psychic, and I admire her. We got a good deal on a great psychic."
In his 2004 campaign Vovak said that he had "three small ideas" and he didn't know if he "could handle four". His ideas were border control
Border control
Border controls are measures used by a country to monitor or regulate its borders.The control of the flow of many people, animals and goods across a border may be controlled by government Customs services. Security is enforced by various kinds of Border Guards and Coast Guards...
, controlling judges, and canceling the White House's subscription to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.
Vovak regularly wore a wig in his public appearances. According to his website, Vovak wore the wig because:
- It is a clever idea to help movie audiences remember him,
- It saves millions of dollars in advertisements with free media coverage,
- It evokes the Whig PartyWhig Party (United States)The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
roots of the Republican Party and its reliance on the founders' version of the United States Constitution.
Vovak's nickname, "The Wig Man", was bestowed by John DiStaso
John DiStaso
John DiStaso is a newspaper journalist who is currently the senior political reporter for the Union Leader, a daily published in Manchester, New Hampshire.-Early life:DiStaso was born in New Jersey and moved to New Hampshire with his wife in 1979...
, senior political reporter at the New Hampshire Union Leader
New Hampshire Union Leader
The New Hampshire Union Leader is the daily newspaper of Manchester, the largest city in the state of New Hampshire. As of September 2010 it had a daily circulation of 48,342 and the circulation of its Sunday paper, the New Hampshire Sunday News, was 63,991. It was founded in 1863.It was called...
.
The Blue Dress
Vovak wrote and was reportedly producing a movie, The Blue Dress, about the Lewinsky scandal. The screenplay covers the period from June 1995, shortly before Monica LewinskyMonica Lewinsky
Monica Samille Lewinsky is an American woman with whom United States President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an "improper relationship" while she worked at the White House in 1995 and 1996...
was hired as an intern
Intern
Internship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, through January 1998, after Matt Drudge
Matt Drudge
Matthew Nathan Drudge is the American creator and editor of the Drudge Report, a news aggregation website. Drudge is self-described as being conservative and populist. Drudge has also authored a book and hosted a radio show and a television show.-Early years:Matthew Drudge was raised in Takoma...
reported President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's affair and the Lewinsky scandal
Lewinsky scandal
The Lewinsky scandal was a political sex scandal emerging in 1998 from a sexual relationship between United States President Bill Clinton and a 25-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. The news of this extra-marital affair and the resulting investigation eventually led to the impeachment of...
.
Vovak was casting actors in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, as of October 2008. Paula Jones
Paula Jones
Paula Corbin Jones is a former Arkansas state employee who sued U.S. President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment. The lawsuit was dismissed before trial on the grounds that Jones failed to demonstrate any damages...
confirmed she would play herself in the movie and would do an event for the Maryland Republican Party
Maryland Republican Party
The Maryland Republican Party is the branch of the United States Republican Party located in the state of Maryland, headquartered in Annapolis. It is historically the underdog party in state politics.-U.S. House of Representatives:...
to publicize it.
See also
- United States Senate election in Maryland, 2010United States Senate election in Maryland, 2010The 2010 United States Senate election in Maryland was held on November 2, 2010. Primary elections were held on September 14, 2010. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski won re-election to a fifth term.-Background:...
- Maryland United States Senate election, 2006Maryland United States Senate election, 2006The 2006 United States Senate election in Maryland was held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes, Maryland's longest serving United States Senator, decided to retire instead of seeking a sixth term. Democratic nominee Ben Cardin won the open...