Tim D'Annunzio

Timothy Bruce D'Annunzio (born January 14, 1958) is an American businessman and political figure from Raeford, North Carolina. He is best known for his unsuccessful 2010 bid for North Carolina's 8th congressional district.

D'Annunzio is a conservative who favors gun rights and small government, including privatizing the social "safety net". He has a history of publicly denouncing Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid among others. While his candidacy was heavily supported by the Tea Party movement, he was not favored by the leadership of the North Carolina Republican Party.

A former Army paratrooper, Tim D'Annunzio is also a professional skydiver and sponsors Paraclete XP skydiving team.

Early life

Born in Darby, Pennsylvania, D'Annunzio admitted to having "a troubled upbringing" on the streets of inner city Philadelphia. His actions led to several teenage arrests and jail time in 1973, and a 1996 trespassing charge during a domestic dispute. In an attempt to leave life of gangs and drugs, D'Annunzio relocated to North Carolina at some point in the 1970s to join the United States Army. He was commissioned as an Infantryman and Parachute Rigger. He became a member of the U.S. Army’s elite Parachute team, the Golden Knights, and traveled the nation and world representing the Army. In 1985, he received an Honorable Discharge with the rank of Staff Sergeant. He credits a religious conversion sometime in the 1990s for turning his life around.

D'Annunzio has six children and two grandchildren. His second wife Colleen is also a veteran.

Business

D'Annunzio started several business, including Paraclete Armor & Equipment, which manufactured body armor and equipment for police and the U.S. Military. In 2006, shortly after Paraclete received over $26 million in federal contracts, D'Annunzio sold it for $30 million to Mine Safety Appliances. He went on to found Paraclete XP Skyventure LLC, which makes a vertical wind tunnel used to simulate skydiving.

In Christianity, the word Paraclete refers to the Holy Spirit.

Political career

Political advertising

In 2004, D'Annunzio's company Paraclete donated $2,000 to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. In 2008, D'Annunzio went on to fund and produce his own political commercials, including four ads attacking then-candidate Barack Obama on taxes, abortion, Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers. Along with web distribution, D'Annunzio purchased television time for at least one of his ads.

2010 candidacy

While largely self-financed, D'Annunzio raised more money from individual contributions than any of his opponents.

A collector of semi-automatic weapons, and an advocate of the right to keep and bear arms, D'Annunzio publicized his Primary campaign by hosting two "Machine Gun Social" fundraisers at area shooting ranges. Video of these fundraisers was picked up by television news outlets across the country.

In March 2010, former state Republican Party chair Jack Hawke left his full time advisory position in the D'Annunzio campaign over disagreements about D'Annunzio's web log, Christ's War, which Hawke felt conflicted in tone with the moderate themes Hawke wanted to advanced in the campaign's advertising. When D'Annunzio insisted he would continue blogging, he and Hawke agreed to part ways, though the D'Annunzio campaign says Hawke continued consulting in an unofficial capacity.

While D'Annunzio was backed by the local Tea Party group, We the People NC, his main rival Harold Johnson was endorsed by most GOP party leaders, including state GOP Chairman Tom Fetzer, former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot, former Governor James G. Martin, and former 8th District Representative Robin Hayes.

In the May 4 Primary election, D'Annunzio received a plurality of the Republican votes cast, 37 percent of the vote compared to 33 percent for Johnson. Since no candidate got over 40 percent, the two frontrunners competed in a runoff June 22, 2010 to determine who would face Democratic incumbent Larry Kissell in November.

North Carolina Republican officials continued to put their weight behind Harold Johnson. The Charlotte Observer published statements made by D'Annunzio's ex-wife during divorce proceedings, which The Observer reported were from court documents being publicized by the Republican Party, along with records of D'Annunzio's past legal troubles.

In response, D'Annunzio held a press conference, naming Tom Fetzer as the origin of the alleged libel. He subsequently called for Fetzer to resign his position, claiming abuse of his office, and citing the State Republican Plan of Organization which prohibited party officials from choosing sides in a primary election.

D'Annunzio lost the runoff election by over 20 points.

Positions

D'Annunzio calls for the elimination of most departments of the Federal Government. D'Annunzio proposes collected Social Security and Medicare monies be divided proportionately, and delegated to the states, to be replaced by a new, private savings based system.

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina, 2010
• Opinion polling for the United States House of Representatives elections, 2010 – North Carolina

External links

• Christ's War – D'Annunzio's weblog
• Tim D'Annunzio for Congress – Candidate's website

• – a short biography centered around his parachuting career.<!-- following for reference only:

• Candidate Uses AK-47 to Raise Cash
• [‘Machine Gun Social’ for South Carolina Guard Candidate http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/09/machine-gun-social-for-south-carolina-guard-candidate/]

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