NEW YORK (CWNews.com) - A former Republican US representative entered the New York Senate race on Monday, saying he would seek the nomination from the Conservative, Right to Life, and Independence parties on the November ballot.

    Joseph DioGuardi's announcement puts him in direct conflict with New York City mayor Rudolph Guiliani who would also need those parties' nominations, in addition to the Republican party nomination, to fend off Hillary Rodham Clinton, the presumptive candidate for the Democratic Party. Conservative Party leader Michael Long has already refused to back Giuliani because of the mayor's support for abortion.

    DioGuardi said he entered the race because Guiliani doesn't uphold conservative principles. "It's not that Giuliani isn't conservative enough; he's not conservative at all," DioGuardi said. He also said he wasn't worried about the other two candidates' lead in raising funds. "They need a lot more money than me," DioGuardi said. "They have to disguise who they are. She has to disguise that she comes from Arkansas, he has to disguise that he believes in 'partial-birth' abortions."

    "Right now, they're popping the champagne corks at Clinton campaign headquarters," said GOP consultant and television commentator Jay Severin told Associated Press. "You could almost run a dead body on the Conservative line and attract enough votes to defeat the Republican candidate." The Guiliani-Clinton race is a statistical tie in recent polls and the small-party endorsements could mean the margin of victory.