User:Reppop/cons
In the United States, the Conservative Party refers to a collection of state-level parties that operate independently and advocate for conservative principles. Currently, there is no national Conservative Party. Historically, many of these parties emerged from divisions within the Democratic and Republican parties, supporting a variety of conservative ideologies, including fiscal conservatism, social conservatism, states' rights, nationalism, and segregation. Although there has not been a national Conservative Party, the Republican Party currently follows the conservative ideology, with third parties Constitution Party and American Independent Party following the Paleoconservatism ideology.
State-level parties
[edit]Connecticut
[edit]In the 1838 and 1839 Connecticut gubernatorial elections, Elisha Phelps, a former Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives, ran as the Conservative Party candidate. He received 2.96% of the popular vote in 1838 and 2.09% in 1839. In the 1842, Luther Loomis ran as the Conservative Party candidate, garnering 1.20% of the popular vote.
Virginia
[edit]In 1834, a Conservative Party of Virginia was formed
In the late 19th century, a new Conservative Party of Virginia formed to oppose Reconstruction, uniting former Democrats, Whigs, and moderate Republicans. Led by Alexander H. H. Stuart and Raleigh T. Daniel, the party won majorities in the Virginia General Assembly in 1869. Though divided on black suffrage, the party supported economic reforms and established a segregated public school system. However, internal divisions over state debt repayment led to the formation of the Readjuster Party, which ultimately defeated the Conservatives. By 1883, most members of the Conservative Party merged with the Democratic Party.
In 1965, a new Conservative Party of Virginia was formed in response to Mills Godwin's nomination as the Democratic candidate for governor, which the party opposed due to his outreach to African-American voters. Around 300 delegates gathered in Richmond, Virginia, to officially establish the party. They nominated William J. Story Jr., the assistant superintendent of schools from Chesapeake, for governor, Reid T. Putney, a forestry consultant from Goochland, for lieutenant governor, and John W. Carter for attorney general. In 1969, the party nominated Beverly McDowell for governor, but he placed fourth in the election, receiving 1.16% of the popular vote.
South Carolina
[edit]In 1874, the Conservative Party of South Carolina was established by James Chesnut Jr. to mobilize white voters, as the South Carolina Democratic Party was inactive statewide. A convention of the State Tax Union was convened in Columbia on September 10 to prepare for the upcoming election and address President Ulysses S. Grant's comments on the Ku Klux Klan. Another convention on October 8 endorsed the Independent Republican ticket with a platform focused on honesty in government.[1]
Although the Independent Republican candidates were defeated in the general election, the Conservatives reduced Republican majorities in the legislature and saw some local success through collaboration with Independent Republicans. This cooperation enabled the election of Edmund W. M. Mackey to Congress from for the 2nd district.[2] Despite these limited gains, the failure of the Conservative Party in 1874 pushed the Democrats to reorganize, leading to their resurgence in the 1876 elections, which ultimately marked the end of the Conservative Party in South Carolina.
New York
[edit]Washington
[edit]In 1966, Floyd Paxton and other ultra-conservatives founded the Conservative Party of Washington, nominating two candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives and seven for the Washington State Legislature.[3][4] The party attracted disaffected Republicans critical of Governor Daniel J. Evans and his allies.[5] Though some party leaders supported George Wallace’s 1968 presidential bid, they ultimately ran under the American Independent Party instead of the Conservative Party.[6][7] In 1968, the party fielded candidates for state offices and Congress under the Constitution Party label, but neither label appeared in the 1970 election.
New Jersey
[edit]Delaware
[edit]In 2009, a Conservative Party of Delaware had a website with a mailing address in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was affiliated with the Conservative Party USA and had no formal leadership. In 2024, the party achieved official recognition after Delaware residents registered as Conservative and met the state’s qualification threshold. Libertarian activist Will McVay, formerly of the Libertarian Party of Delaware, took the opportunity to reorganize the party. In the same year, the party nominated perennial candidate Vermin Supreme and comedian Jonathan Realz for President and Vice President of the United States, while endorsing Jon Roe for the 2024 Delaware Senate election.[8][9]
Illinois
[edit]In 2018, Illinois State Senator Sam McCann left the Republican Party to establish the Conservative Party of Illinois for his gubernatorial campaign.[10] Positioning himself as an "independent conservative," he explained that his candidacy aimed to prevent "two billionaires from Chicago" (Bruce Rauner and J. B. Pritzker) from dominating the general election.[11] McCann secured his spot on the ballot by gathering 65,000 signatures but ultimately finished third in the general election, receiving 4.23% of the popular vote.[12][13]
Conservatives who have held office
[edit]Federal officials
[edit]U.S. Senate
[edit]| Name | State | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James L. Buckley | New York | January 3, 1971 | January 3, 1977 | Defected to Republican Party in 1976. |
U.S. House
[edit]| Name | State | District | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George W. Hopkins | Virginia | 18th | March 4, 1839 | March 3, 1841 | Defected from Democratic Party in 1839, defected to Democratic Party in 1841. | |
| James Garland | Virginia | 12th | March 4, 1839 | March 3, 1841 | Defected from Democratic Party in 1839, lost re-election as Conservative. | |
| George Booker | Virginia | 4th | January 26, 1870 | March 3, 1871 | Lost re-election as a Conservative. | |
| Robert Ridgway | Virginia | 5th | January 27, 1870 | October 16, 1870 | Died in office. | |
| Richard T. W. Duke | Virginia | 5th | November 8, 1870 | March 4, 1871 | Defected to Democratic Party in 1971. | |
| William Milnes Jr. | Virginia | 6th | January 27, 1870 | March 3, 1871 | Lost re-election as a Conservative. | |
| Lewis McKenzie | Virginia | 7th | January 27, 1870 | March 3, 1871 | Lost re-election as a Conservative. | |
| James K. Gibson | Virginia | 8th | January 27, 1870 | March 3, 1871 | Retired after a term. | |
| William Carney | New York | 1st | January 3, 1979 | October 7, 1985 | Defected to Republican Party in 1985. |
State senate
[edit]| Name | State | District | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serphin R. Maltese | New York | 15th | January 1, 1988 | 1990 | Defected from Democratic Party in 1839, defected to Democratic Party in 1841. |
State house
[edit]| Name | State | District | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H. R. Vandiver | South Carolina | Anderson | July 6, 1868 | |||
| James L. Orr | South Carolina | Anderson | July 6, 1868 | December 12, 1872 | ||
| Rosemary R. Gunning | New York | 34th | January 1, 1969 | December 31, 1972 | ||
| 37th | January 1, 1973 | December 31, 1976 | ||||
| Charles A. Jerabek | New York | 3rd | January 1, 1969 | December 31, 1972 | Lost re-election as a Conservative. | |
| Angela Wozniak | New York | 143rd | January 1, 2015 | December 31, 2016 | Retired as a Conservative. |
Local offices
[edit]| Name | State | Office | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael R. Long | New York | New York City Council | 1981 | 1983 | ||
| James Molinaro | New York | Borough President of Staten Island | January 1, 2002 | December 31, 2013 | ||
| Joseph Lorigo | New York | Erie County Legislature (10th) | January 1, 2011 | January 1, 2023 |
See also
[edit]- Conservative Party (disambiguation)
- Conservatism in the United States
- Republican Party
- National Conservative Political Action Committee
- American Conservative Union
References
[edit]- ^ Reynolds 1969, pp. 281.
- ^ Reynolds 1969, pp. 283–285.
- ^ "State Politics: Threat to GOP Seen in Conservative Party". Spokane Chronicle. Spokane, Washington. September 19, 1966. p. 7.
- ^ "Conservative Party Files". The Spokesman-Review. September 23, 1966. p. 8.
- ^ "Yakima Rebels' Action Pleases GOP Chairman". The Spokesman-Review. October 29, 1966. p. 13.
- ^ Turner, Wallace (September 29, 1968). "RIGHTISTS STRONG IN WALLACE DRIVE; Birchers and Others Play Key Roles in the West". The New York Times. p. 75.
- ^ Cummings, Robert (February 2, 1968). "Backstage Olympia". The Bellingham Herald. p. 12.
- ^ Winger, Richard (2024-09-17). "Former Delaware Libertarian Activist Activates Delaware Conservative Party". Ballot Access News. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ^ Evans, Jordan Willow (2024-08-14). "Vermin Supreme Qualifies for Delaware State Ballot via Conservative Party Nomination". Independent Political Report.
- ^ Schutz, Paris (April 19, 2018). "Third Candidate Enters Race for Illinois Governor". WTTW.
- ^ Otwell, Rachel (October 4, 2018). "A Conversation With Sam McCann - Conservative Party Nominee For Illinois Gov". NPR.
- ^ Garcia, Monique (May 15, 2019). "Third-party governor candidate McCann will get to stay on November ballot". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Bremer, Shelby (October 30, 2018). "Pritzker Wins Race for Illinois Governor, Ousting Rauner: NBC News". NBC 5 Chicago.
- Works cited
- Reynolds, John S. (1969). Reconstruction in South Carolina. Negro University Press. ISBN 0-8371-1638-4.