NY GOP moves to knock ‘The Biggest Loser’ trainer Cara Castronuova out of Senate primary

A former trainer from TV’s “The Biggest Loser” is looking to run for US Senate — but influential Republicans are trying to lose her from the GOP primary ballot.

The powerful party insiders are trying to disqualify former Golden Gloves boxer Cara Castronuova, who’s looking to take on heavily favored three-term Democrat incumbent Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

Castronuova would first have to win a primary against GOP pick Mike Sapraicone, a retired NYPD detective.

Queens Republican Party chairman Anthony Nunziato challenged signatures collected on behalf of Castronuova in a bid to knock her out of the contest, according to a document filed with the state Board of Elections.

The GOP operative who mailed the paperwork for the challenge on behalf of Nunziato was convicted felon John Haggerty, who has close ties to the state Republican Party leadership, according to a snap taken by Castronuova’s campaign.

Haggerty was convicted of stealing $750,000 from a trust fund that belonged to former Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

The fund transferred $1.2 million to the state Independence Party, which acted as an intermediary to funnel funds to Haggerty for what was supposed to be an Election-Day ballot-security operation in the 2009 mayoral race.

A separate petition challenge was filed against businessman Josh Eisen, who also is seeking ballot access to run in the GOP primary for Senate.

“I was very disappointed to see that the chairman of the Queens party, Anthony Nunziato, along with a Board of Elections worker were only two people that objected to my petitions. So that means other than those two no other member of the public objected to my petitions,” Castronuova said Sunday.

She noted that she recently sued the state Republican Party and Board of Elections over ballot requirements and believes the bid to disqualify her is “retaliatory.”

“People across the state deserve to know why a convicted felon hiding behind the Republican Party elites is the one calling the shots that are tremendously affecting our state and our elections,” Castronuova said.

“THE PEOPLE WANT A PRIMARY AND A CHOICE. I will fight this to the very end. The people deserve a choice and candidates and fair ballot access is a constitutional right.”

At the state party convention in February, delegates tapped Sapraicone to be their standard bearer.

Former President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican nominee for the White House, also endorsed Sapraicone.

Both Castronuova and Eisen failed to garner 25% of the weighted delegates’ vote to qualify for ballot status to run in a Republican primary.

The only other way to get on the ballot is to collect 15,000 signatures from registered Republicans, with at least 100 from 13 of the 26 congressional districts.

Nunziato on Sunday defended his decision to try to disqualify Castronuova from running.

“I want to make sure her signatures are pristine. You have to show you have the right amount of signatures to get on the ballot. It’s checks and balances. That’s all it is,” Nunziato said.

The Queens Republican leader confirmed that Haggerty delivered the challenge for him with the BOE, but said it’s “kind of low” for Castronuova to make an issue of it.

“It’s ridiculous. Get over it,” Nunziato said.

Haggerty did not return a request for comment.

Both Castronuova and Eisen claimed to have filed more than 15,000 valid signatures, but it remains to be seen if they withstand objections under New York’s hypertechnical election law.