Oswego County

 Short History of the Conservative Party of NYS

 

 The Conservative Party was formed in 1962 to restore a meaningful choice to the voters of New York State.  At that time, the three existing political parties espoused the doctrinaire liberal philosophy of the welfare state at home and the collectivist ideology abroad.  In just four short decades, the party has grown from a small band of conservative-minded men and women to a statewide organization of almost 155,000 individuals dedicated to the traditional American values of individual freedom, individual responsibility, and individual effort.

 

From a humble beginning garnering 141,000 votes on ballot Row F, our principles have attracted Empire State voters in sufficient numbers to raise the Party to Row C and twice received over a million votes for our candidate in a statewide election.  From the founding of the party, it has been successively chaired by Kieran O’Doherty, J. Daniel Mahoney, Serphin R. Maltese, and Michael R. Long.  Through the leadership of these men and the hard work of committee members, the Conservative Party elected James L. Buckley to the U. S. Senate, William Carney to the House of Representatives, Serphin R. Maltese to the State Senate, Rosemary R. Gunning and Charles Jerabec to the State Assembly, and numerous county, city, town and village offices.

 

 In the past 50 years, the Conservative Party has played many pivotal rolls in electing officials from Supreme Court Justices to Town Justices, County Executives to Village Board Members, Mayors and City Council Members to Ward Leaders, and will continue to play a pivotal role in the process of electing those who are committed to conservative values.

 

In 2009, we made history.  The Conservative Party’s candidate for the 23rd Congressional District, Doug Hoffman, running on our line alone, garnered 45.98% of the vote, the highest for a minor party in a U.S. House race since 1949.  The race was covered nationally and internationally, energized a grassroots response seldom seen in politics, and helped give birth to the Taxed Enough Already (TEA) party movement.   In 2010, the Conservative Party regained Row C and provided the margin of victory to numerous elected officials.

 

The 2013-2014 Legislature includes 31 State Senators and 45 Assembly Members with Conservative Party designation.  The 113th Congress  includes five Rrepresentatives from New York State who ran with conservative designation.  The vote cast on the Conservative Line was almost double our enrollment.  Statewide the Party has forged strong links to the Republicans and Democrats of compatible views and has helped prevent a complete leftward drift of state government.  On the national level, we are affiliated with the American Conservative Union.  Although we are not formally affiliated with any other national conservative organization, we are recognized as the influential New York branch of the American conservative movement and maintain a close and cordial relationship with conservative organizations and public officials both in other states and Washington, D.C.

 

President Ronald Reagan stated;  “The Conservative Party has established itself as a preeminent force in New York Politics and an important part of our political history.” With your help, the Conservative Party will continue its vital role in reshaping the political agenda of the State and Nation.

 

Adapted from the Conservative Party of NYS Website