The New York State Conservative Party is elated not just because Donald Trump won the presidency, but because so many voters chose to vote for Trump on the Conservative Party line.
“President-elect Donald Trump won more votes on the Conservative Party line last night — more than 308,000 and growing — than any presidential candidate in 52 years. That tally easily qualifies the Conservative Party for renewed ballot status,” says New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerry Kassar.
“While some of last night’s results were disappointing, the election of President-elect Trump, the reelection of at least seven New York Republican-Conservative members of Congress, and State Senate Republicans breaking the Democrat supermajority in that house were tremendous victories for Conservatives,” says Kassar.
South Shore Press talked with Chairman Kassar about the results and why and how they are important for the state’s Conservative Party.
Kassar: President Trump’s powerful performance in ‘deep-blue’ New York should send shock waves throughout the New York Democrat Party, which is hemorrhaging working-class voters of all ethnicities. Slowly but surely, New Yorkers are distancing themselves from the woke progressivism driving New York into the ground.
SSP: Why is it important that so many voters voted for Donald Trump on the Conservative line?
Kassar: Because if we don’t reach the required threshold of votes, we would not remain a political party in New York state under state law. We couldn't hold conventions. We couldn't operate like the GOP and Democrat Party.
We would be an independent body if we didn’t have party status. With this vote turnout, we continue to have legal party status in the state. So, we're allowed to organize on a county level and conduct our own business.
SSP: How many votes are needed?
Kassar: The number is 130,000 in a gubernatorial election year. And it's 2% in a presidential year because that's the higher number. The 2% amount this year will be somewhere between 171-177,000 votes. The Conservative Party as of this morning was at 309,000 with some counting left to be done. We anticipate we will end up between about 315-320,000.
The other piece of this is that President Trump had the second-highest vote that we've ever received for president. He had 298,000 in 2020. In 2016, he had 296,000. This time, my belief is he'll have about 315,000, which is, for a small party, a substantial increase.
The highest number the Conservative Party in NY received for president was 1972 when Richard Nixon against George McGovern got 362,000 votes.
SSP: I voted on the Conservative line because I do understand why it matters to keep the smaller parties alive. The same way some Democrats vote on the Working Family line. Many people don’t know the finer points of the party system and may think, why not just vote R, Conservatives support Republicans and the Working Family supports Democrats.
Kassar: It matters if people believe that we play a role, and I think many do. We need to get those votes to protect ourselves as a Party – so we exist.
In Brooklyn for example, where there are districts where there are 1.5-2 times the enrollment advantage of Democrats versus Republicans, getting the Conservative line can make a difference for some candidates.
SSP: Republicans and Conservatives are not always the same thing?
Kassar: No, you sometimes need to have a good housekeeping seal of approval from the Conservative Party to bring over blue-collar Democrats and other Democrats who are open to the concept like law enforcement Democrats.
SSP: So moderate to conservative-leaning Democrats, the traditional fiscally conservative but socially compassionate voter, might vote for a candidate on the Conservative line where they might never pull the R lever?
Kassar: Yes. There are more than a couple of candidates in the state that won by the difference of the conservative party vote. There are two in Brooklyn right now that won, that won by the difference of the Conservative Party vote.
Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny and Assemblyman Novakhov would have lost without the Conservative Party line.
SSP: Thanks for your time. Hopefully, our readers will take the time to consider a vote on a minor party line in the future.