Conservative Party of New York State - 2009 Elections

2009 Elections

The Conservative Party nominated Doug Hoffman for the special congressional election in the 23rd congressional district, an election won by the Democratic nominee, Bill Owens. The Conservative Party chose Hoffman, a fiscal and social conservative, in reaction to the Republican Party's nomination of pro-choice, pro-same-sex-marriage, pro-union Assemblymember Dede Scozzafava, who Chairman Mike Long declared to be a "nice lady who is too liberal." On October 31, 2009, Dede Scozzafava suspended her campaign, leading prominent Republicans such as national chairman Michael Steele to endorse Hoffman. The final election results showed that Owens prevailed over Hoffman by a margin of 48.3% to 46%. According to one commentator, "tea party conservatives see the GOP loss as a victory for conservativism over mere political party loyalty. They’re describing the defeat as a warning shot fired in defense of principle." In addition, elected officials and observers opined that the congressional race had an impact on the New York State Senate's December 2, 2009 vote against same-sex marriage legislation.

Stephen Christopher, the party's nominee for Mayor of New York City, came in third in that race with 1.7% of the vote. The party's nominees for Public Advocate and Comptroller also came in third with 3.5% and 2.3% of the vote respectively.