My parents got a postcard in the mail the other day from the Conservative Party, requesting that they cast their votes for Bush/Lazio on the Conservative Party line, NOT the Republican Party line, so as to send a “message” to the candidates about who put them in office.
Thinking back now, I can’t remember ever hearing about a Conservative candidate for a major office; it was always a Republican candidate that had picked up the Conservative Party endorsement. Anyone know of a major race in which there were Republican, Conservative and Democratic candidates battling it out?
What is it about the Conservative Party that makes it so distinct from the Republican Party, anyway? The abortion issue in particular is covered pretty well by the Right-to-Life Party, and most Republicans I know are pretty “conservative” in their views about the economy, social services, etc., already.
William F Buckley was the most famous Conservative candidate, he ran for mayor in the early 60’s and got 13% or the vote.
The conservative party was founded to give New Yorkers an alternative to the Republicans such as Lindsay.
Well, back when Cuomo was governor, one year (1990? Around there), he ran against Pierre Rinfret, the Republican candidate, and Herb London(sp?), the Conservative candidate.
Also if Giuliani had been the Republican nominee the Conservative party would have run a candidate because Giuliani is tight with the head of the Liberal Party and the Conservative party will not share a candidate with the Liberal party.
Wasn’t that his brother James Buckley, who served a couple of terms in the US Senate under the Conservative name? He was functionally a Republican anyway.
I thought the New York Conservative and Liberal parties dated to the FDR administration.
James Buckley did run as both but William F ran just as a Conservative. The Liberal party does date back to FDR times but I believe the Conservative party was created in the 50’s.
Hmmm, OK, so there have been some Conservative candidates (mostly before my time as a voter). Only in NY, though? Even if created here, I would have thought that the party would find other reasonable venues as well.
I’m also getting the impression that the Conservative Party formed in response to “Republicrat” candidates. Is that fair to say, or are there other issues involved?
To correct an earlier post, the Conservative party was created in 1962.
The election laws of New York allow candidates to run on more than one ticket so candidates can be listed more than once on each so you could vote for Lazio either under the Republican line or the Conservative party line and he would get your vote either way. I do not know of any other state with similar election laws.
At the time of the party’s founding the Republicans in NY were just as liberal as the Democrats on most issues so conservative voters did not have a real choice.
