He explained that he could not "agree with anything that Cuccinelli believes in."  Salahi failed to submit the necessary signatures to the Virginia State Board of Elections by the June 11, 2013, deadline and did not appear on the ballot as an independent. He transitioned his run into a write-in campaign and said he would pursue a congressional seat if he didn't win the governorship. Salahi was also scheduled to have a film document his campaign by Campbell Media Group, but the production company faced legal allegations for targeting and scamming its film subjects. Salahi was one of two declared write-in candidates for Governor, along with John Parmele Jr., a Navy retiree. All write-in candidates received 11,087 votes, 0.49% of the total votes cast. In December 2013, Salahi announced that he was running in the Republican primary for Virginia's 10th congressional district in the 2014 elections, to succeed Frank Wolf, the retiring Republican incumbent. However, he withdrew from the 10th's Republican primary and switched to the Independent Greens in March 2014 to run for Virginia's 7th congressional district seat currently held by Eric Cantor. Salahi attempted to collect 1,000 signatures to get on the ballot. In June 2014, Salahi submitted 2,051 signatures to the Virginia State Board of Elections, but only 480 of them were valid and he did not appear on the ballot. Salahi rents out his home on Airbnb. In February 2014, Salahi was required to obtain a permit to do this. As of 2015, Salahi writes a Virginia-based blog: Connoisseur Traveler. In November 2015, Salahi announced his engagement to Northern Virginia socialite and his business partner Lisa Spoden, who also serves as CEO of their joint venture, Hotels at Sea (Salahi serves as Chairman), which plans to operate as an intermediary between companies looking to charter cruise ships, and the cruise ship companies themselves. Salahi met Michaele Holt at a 2000 baby shower thrown in McLean, Virginia by real estate agent N. Casey Margenau and his wife Molly. They married in 2003 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. The reception was held at the Salahi family winery and was prepared by 46 chefs, hosted in a tent, and culminated with a thirty-minute fireworks display and an eight-foot wedding cake. The guest list included 1,836 guests, including Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy and former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Margaret Heckler and numerous high-profile US State Department, CIA, US Senate, US Congressional and other high-profile diplomatic guests.