Conservative Party of New York State facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Conservative Party of New York State
Chairman	Gerard Kassar
Founded	1962; 63 years ago (1962)
Headquarters	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Membership (November 2022)	163,314
Ideology	Conservatism
Political position	Right-wing
Colors	Orange      Blue

The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party. It was started in 1962. People who felt the Republican Party in New York was not conservative enough founded it. A famous member, James L. Buckley, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1970. He served one term.

Since 2010, the party has held "Row C" on New York ballots. This means it's the third party listed. It comes after the Democratic and Republican parties. This is because it got the third-highest number of votes in recent New York governor elections. The party tries to make the Republican Party more conservative.

Party History

U.S. Senator James L. Buckley was a key elected official for the Conservative Party.

The Conservative Party of New York State began in 1962. People like J. Daniel Mahoney and William F. Buckley Jr.'s brother, James L. Buckley, helped start it. They felt the state's Republican Party was too liberal.

New York has a special rule called "fusion voting." This lets a candidate appear on more than one party's ballot line. The Liberal Party of New York had used this rule to gain power. The Conservative Party wanted to balance that influence. Many of the party's early supporters were working-class people. They were often from cities and suburbs.

The 1960s

Famous writer William F. Buckley Jr. ran for Mayor of New York City in 1965. He ran on the Conservative Party line. He won 13.4% of the votes. This campaign brought a lot of attention to the party. In 1966, Conservative candidate Paul L. Adams got over half a million votes for Governor. This helped the party secure "Row C" on the ballot.

The 1970s

In 1970, James L. Buckley, William F. Buckley Jr.'s brother, ran for U.S. Senate. He ran only on the Conservative Party line. He won with 39% of the votes. He defeated a Democrat and a Republican. Buckley served one term in the Senate. His win showed that voters were unhappy with high taxes and government spending.

In 1978, William Carney was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He was a Conservative Party member. He won in a district that was usually Democratic. He served four terms.

The 1980s

In 1980, the Conservative Party supported Al D'Amato for U.S. Senate. D'Amato won the election. The votes he received on the Conservative line were more than his small winning difference. This showed the party's importance.

William Carney was a Conservative Party member in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In the 1982 election for governor, the party supported Republican Lewis Lehrman. He lost by a small amount. In 1986, they supported Republican Andrew P. O'Rourke. He lost by a lot.

The 1990s

In 1990, Herbert London was the Conservative Party's candidate for Governor. The party did not support the Republican candidate that year. They felt he was not serious enough. London ran a strong campaign. He finished just behind the Republican candidate.

The party did not support Republican Rudy Giuliani for Mayor of New York City in 1993 and 1997. Giuliani had accepted support from the Liberal Party. The Conservative Party supported George Marlin in 1993. They left their ballot line empty in 1997.

The party supported Republican George Pataki in 1994. He won the governor's race. Pataki received over 300,000 votes on the Conservative line. This was double his winning difference over the other candidate.

The 2000s

The party ran its own candidates for Mayor of New York City in 2001, 2005, and 2009. They did not support Republican Michael Bloomberg.

In 2006, John Spencer ran for U.S. Senate. He was supported by both the Republican and Conservative parties. He lost to Hillary Clinton.

In the 2006 governor's race, the Conservative Party supported John Faso. He was the Republican candidate. Faso lost the general election. But he received many votes on the Conservative Party line.

The Conservative Party supported John McCain and Sarah Palin for president in 2008. They lost to Barack Obama.

In 2009, the Conservative Party supported Doug Hoffman for a special election. This was for a U.S. House seat. The Republican Party had chosen a more liberal candidate. The Conservative Party chairman, Mike Long, said she was "too liberal." Many Republicans then supported Hoffman. He lost the election by a small amount. This election got a lot of national attention. It was seen as a fight over the Republican Party's direction.

The 2010s

In 2010, the party chairman, Michael Long, supported Rick Lazio for governor. But Lazio lost the Republican primary. The party then supported Carl Paladino. Paladino lost the general election. However, he received many votes on the Conservative Party line. This allowed the party to get "Row C" back. They have held this position ever since.

Before New York passed a law allowing same-sex marriage in 2011, Michael Long said the party would not support candidates who backed it. Four Republican state senators voted for the law. Three of them faced challengers supported by the Conservative Party in 2012. Two of them lost their seats.

In 2014, Senator Mark Grisanti was again not supported by the Conservative Party. He had voted for the same-sex marriage law. The party supported a different candidate. This split the vote. It helped a Democrat win the election.

The party supported Rob Astorino early for the 2014 governor's election. In 2016, the Conservative Party supported Donald Trump for President. He won the election.

Michael Long was the party chairman for over 30 years.

In 2018, the party chose Marcus Molinaro as its candidate for governor. They did not consider other candidates they felt were not conservative enough.

As of 2018, the party still holds "Row C" on New York ballots. This is the third-place spot. It is below the Democratic and Republican parties. This is because of their vote totals in recent governor elections.

Michael Long retired as chairman in January 2019. He had served for 30 years. Gerard Kassar became the new chairman in February 2019.

The 2020s

In 2020, the Conservative Party supported Donald Trump for re-election. He lost to Joe Biden. In 2021, the party worked with Republicans. They successfully opposed three ballot proposals from Democrats.

Party Strategy

In 2012, The New York Times said the Conservative Party had been successful. They had pushed the Republican Party to be more conservative. The New York Post also said the party helped Republicans keep control of the state Senate. This was true even as New York became more Democratic.

The Conservative Party usually supports the same candidates as the Republican Party. They campaign against Democratic candidates. But the party will not support Republican candidates if they think they are too liberal. For example, they did not support Rudy Giuliani for mayor. He had support from the Liberal Party.

In the 2004 U.S. Senate election, the Conservative Party supported its own candidate. This was to oppose the Republican candidate. It also helped a Democrat win a state Senate race in 2004. This happened because the Conservative Party supported a different Republican.

After the same-sex marriage law passed in 2011, the party said it would not support candidates who voted for it. Two Republican senators who voted for the bill lost their seats in 2012.

The party has also supported some Democratic candidates. These include former Buffalo mayor James D. Griffin. He was first elected mayor only on the Conservative ticket. They also supported other Democrats like Assemblymembers Michael Cusick and Marianne Buttenschon.

Important Officeholders

The Conservative Party has had members in important government roles.

Federal Office

• James L. Buckley, U.S. Senator, 1971–1977
• William Carney, U.S. Congressman, 1979–1987

State Office

• Rosemary R. Gunning, Assemblywoman, 1969–1976
• Charles A. Jerabek, Assemblyman, 1969–1972
• Angela Wozniak, Assemblywoman, 2015–2016
• Joseph Lorigo, New York State Supreme Court justice, 2023–present

Images for kids

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  Results of the 2009 special election in New York's 23rd congressional district.

See also

• Conservative Party (United States)
• Electoral history of the Conservative Party of New York State