“Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it”-Ronald Reagan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shaun Marie
518-356-7882
cpnys.org @cpnys
New York – Feb. 26…The New York State Conservative Party today announced its official slate of statewide candidates for 2022. The candidates were formally selected on Saturday at the Party’s annual candidate convention held at the Westchester Manor in Hastings-On-Hudson, NY. They are:
“The Conservative Party is proud to put forward a superb slate of candidates for statewide offices,” said New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar. “We had a broad group of candidates requesting our party line, and after extensive deliberations we chose the most qualified and electable candidates who came before us. New York State is in desperate need of reform — ethically, economically, and in public safety policy — and these candidates have what it takes to get the job done. New York voters deserve a lot better than they’re getting from a one-party rule in Albany and a Democrat-led U.S. Senate, and we are confident that these candidates will deliver for them.”
Vladimir Putin’s Russia revealed itself as a pariah state this week as it launched an unprovoked invasion of Democratic Ukraine.
The New York State Conservative Party urges President Biden and other world leaders to impose the most severe sanctions possible on Putin’s Russian regime.
Ukraine is a free and independent nation that escaped the grasp of Marxism a generation ago. It must not be lost to totalitarianism again. To the brave Ukrainians who have taken up arms to defend their homeland and democracy, you are in our thoughts and prayers. We wish you all the strength in the world to repeal back this invasion. Read our statement on Russia’s invasion here.
Reapportionment
The New York State Supreme Court in Steuben County will hear the major case objecting to the new New York State Senate and House of Representatives district lines.
The hearing is set to be held on Thursday, March 3rd. We expect a decision soon after and remain hopeful that we will have a successful day in court. The State Constitution outlines numerous criteria for a fair and equitable reapportionment.
Many members of the media and political scene, regardless of party affiliation, in NY and across the country have spoken out against the gerrymandered lines presented to us by the Democratic state legislature. We believe we will present strong arguments that must be taken into serious consideration.
Alison Esposito for Lt. Governor
I was pleased to attend Lee Zeldin’s announcement Wednesday as he named his running mate for Lt. Governor, Deputy Inspector Alison Esposito.
Inspector Esposito is a retiring member of the NYPD who will bring an abundance of knowledge and experience in law enforcement at a time when New York City and State desperately need it.
What may not be as obvious is her wide range of experience throughout NYC’s diverse communities or her proven ability to lead in the most stressful of circumstances.
Born and raised in Orange County, and a current Manhattan resident, Alison is a well-studied conservative with solid core beliefs. Together with Zeldin they will return the executive chamber to common sense, conservative control.
Zeldin, Esposito and the rest of the statewide tickets will be nominated on Saturday afternoon at our convention to be held at the Westchester Manor with check-in beginning at 1:00 pm. I look forward to a good convention with many of you in attendance.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bill O’Reilly, 212-396-9117
Bill@NovemberTeam.com
February 24, 2022
Brooklyn, NY “Vladamir Putin’s Russia revealed itself as a pariah state this morning as it launched an unprovoked invasion of democratic Ukraine.
“The New York State Conservative Party urges that President Biden and other world leaders impose the most severe sanctions possible on Mr. Putin’s regime.
“Ukraine is a free and independent nation that escaped the grasp of Marxism a generation ago. It must not be lost to totalitarianism again.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shaun Marie
518-356-7882
cpnys.org @cpnys
February 22, 2022
Brooklyn, NY – “Harry Wilson’s support for radical Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg makes him ineligible for serious consideration by Conservative and Republican voters. Mr. Wilson claims, hypothetically, that he’d remove an Alvin Bragg as governor, but his actions speak louder than words. By giving Mr. Bragg a $1,000 donation, he effectively endorsed him for office, an extraordinary lapse in judgment.
“Mr. Wilson’s decision to enter this race just days before the Conservative and Republican Party conventions — after remaining politically dormant for the past 12 years — also strikes us as more destructive than constructive. Where has he been all these years?
“The Conservative Party reiterates its firm support for Congressman Lee Zeldin for governor. Congressman Zeldin has the background, knowledge, and understanding of issues needed to make a great leader of our state. He is a proud combat veteran with a work ethic like no other candidate. Congressman Zeldin will make an outstanding Conservative Party nominee, and an even more outstanding governor.”
Hillary Clinton addressed the NY State Democratic Convention this week and sounded more like a candidate than surrogate for the state party. Clearly Clinton is not yet over her defeat at the hands of President Trump in the 2016 election as evident by her speech Thursday in which she continued to obsess over Trump and Fox News.
Though she finally did get around to endorsing Gov. Hochul, it is clear the power hungry Clinton may not be ready to go away just yet and it is abundantly clear that there is dissention within the New York Democratic Party. A sizeable contingency of attendees voiced their displeasure with the party’s endorsement of Hochul, instead opting to support Rep. Tom Suozzi who intends to primary Hochul this June.
While the Conservative and Republican Parties are unified together, the same cannot be said for the Democrats who will face their toughest challenge in years.
On the Road
What’s better then attending a county Conservative Party event with 350 people in the room? Having your keynote speaker the next Governor of New York. That is exactly the enviable position I found myself in when I attended the Monroe County Conservative Party annual dinner in Rochester. Congrats to Chairman Don Mazzullo who put together an amazing dinner filled with energy and positive vibes for the year ahead.
Our presumptive nominee for Governor, Congressman Lee Zeldin, once again proved if you want leadership in New York – you want Zeldin. We were happy to also be joined by US Senate candidate Joe Pinion and Attorney General candidate John Sarcone.
I look forward to more successful county organization events as we continue our march towards November.
Conservative Party to Nominate Statewide Ticket
The New York State Conservative Party will hold its State Committee meeting to nominate our candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Controller and US Senate on Saturday, February 26 at 2pm with the venue being at the Westchester Manor, 140 Saw Mill River Rd., Hastings-On-Hudson, NY 10706. The convention is open to the public, we ask non-delegates to please register by calling headquarters at 718-921-2158. We encourage everyone to attend and join us for what will be a good afternoon providing great insight into the convention process.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bill O’Reilly, 212-396-9117 Bill@NovemberTeam.com
February 15, 2022
Brooklyn, NY – “Christina Yuna Lee was an accomplished and beautiful young woman in the prime of her life. Her brutal and senseless murder, allegedly at the hands of a man who should have been in jail at the time — not on cashless bail — is an infuriating example of just how far New York has fallen because of Albany and City Hall criminal justice policy blunders. How many more neighbors will we lose before no-cash-bail is repealed and Broken-window policing is restored? How much more evidence do we need that these progressive, soft-on-crime experiments aren’t working?
“Ms. Lee’s murder should shake this city to its core because it shows just how vulnerable we all are when chaos is allowed to rule the streets. But more than that, it demands the return of common-sense policing in New York.
“The Conservative Party mourns the loss of Ms. Lee, and prays that her family finds peace again one day. We will not forget her, nor will we forget the policy that kept her alleged assailant on the street when he should have been in jail.”
The Democratically controlled Legislature, to no one’s surprise, passed a Congressional, State Senate and Assembly reapportionment that constituted a highly partisan attempt to gerrymander Conservative/Republican members out of office.
Communities of interest were split with no consideration for citizens or their views. Strange configurations that resulted in a Congressional District running from Buffalo to Fort Drum (24th), and another running from the Upper West side of Manhattan to New York Harbor in Brooklyn, connected by a mile long strip of Brooklyn (10th), are just two examples.
The same can be said for the state senate and assembly where most every state senate district went through major changes and the existing highly partisan assembly reapportionment, already in place, became worse. Lawsuits from both the right and left are being filed. Many NYC left leaning organizations who submitted maps believe the democrats ignored their concerns. We believe the democratic controlled legislature in passing an extreme reapportionment has shown its moral corruptness. Of course, we will be supporting various lawsuits and alternative plans.
We will be nominating many candidates over the next few weeks who will speak of the many failures that have been brought about by one-party controlled government. In 2021 we expect to beat the democrats at their own game by taking our case directly to the people.
Governor Hochul met with Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg last week. Nothing happened, and that should surprise no one.
Hochul is worse than an apologist for this mad man masquerading as a District Attorney. She is a political animal more concerned with protecting herself from the socialist Democrats in her party rather than having the safety of all New Yorkers in mind.
The Conservative Party continues to call for Hochul to remove Bragg from office due to malfeasance. Please sign our petition here to stop empowering criminals and restore order back to our street.
Additionally, we have come out strongly in support of legislation introduced by State Senator Pat Gallivan and Assemblyman Mike Lawler (S8176 / A8682) that mandates life without parole for anyone who murders a law enforcement officer or first responder. Bragg has indicated in writing that his office will request for first degree murder sentencing of no more than twenty years, a small price to pay for taking one’s life.
CPPAC 2022
Our 54th Conservative Party Political Action Conference was a great success. Our lunch and dinner were sold out, our speakers were highly informative and the reaction from all those who
attended or watched our live feed was positive. Thank you to everyone who attended and supported our conference. You can watch the entire event or selective speakers here (scroll down).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bill O’Reilly, 212-396-9117
Bill@NovemberTeam.com
February 1, 2022
Statement from New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar on Democratic Gerrymandering in New York
Brooklyn, NY – “The proposed State Senate and Assembly district lines make clear that New York Democrats are terrified of political competition, just as the proposed congressional lines show how desperate Nancy Pelosi is to hold onto power.
“New York Democrats are so afraid of a healthy exchange of ideas that they altered longterm election norms last year to get rid of as many third parties as possible. Then they worked to change voting laws weeks after New Yorkers overwhelmingly rejected those same proposed changes at the ballot box. Now, they foolishly think they can kill off the Republican and Conservative parties with the most blatant gerrymandering this state has ever seen.
“Some of these district lines are downright comical in their configurations; Democrats should be embarrassed to put them forward. But the careful observer sees what they truly are: a profound statement of political weakness. A party confident in its performance, ideas, and convictions doesn’t need to resort to subterfuge. It welcomes open debate. New York Democrats are just the opposite. They’re circling the wagons, and for good reason. New Yorkers are quickly getting to know what one-party rule feels like.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bill O’Reilly, 212-396-9117
Bill@NovemberTeam.com
SEN. GALLIVAN, ASSEMBLYMAN LAWLER, CONSERVATIVE PARTY CHAIRMAN KASSAR, CALL FOR LIFE-WITHOUT-PAROLE PRISON SENTENCES FOR NEW YORK COP KILLERS;
Urge Gov. Hochul to Remove Manhattan D.A. Bragg from Office
Latham, NY-Jan. 31…New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar, Senator Patrick M. Gallivan, and Assemblyman Michael Lawler today called for passage of legislation (A. 8682) that would impose mandatory life-without-parole prison sentences for the first- or second-degree murder of police officers or other New York first responders. Senator Gallivan and Assemblyman Lawler are prime sponsors of the measure in their respective houses. The announcement was made during the Conservative Party’s 54th Annual Conservative Party Political Action Conference (CPPAC) held in Latham, NY.
“As a former State Trooper and Sheriff of Erie County, I know first-hand how law enforcement officers and other first responders risk their lives to protect our communities,” Senator Gallivan said. “An attack on these brave men and women represents an attack on the community at large and our rule of law and order. Any individual who is convicted of murdering a police officer, peace officer, corrections officer or first responder must be held accountable and should never be eligible for parole.”
“As a society, we must stand up for those who serve and protect our communities every day,” Assemblyman Lawler said. “In recent years, too many cop-killers have been released on parole without a second thought for the victims and their families. Assembly Bill A 8682 would ensure that anyone who is convicted in the death of a law enforcement officer, corrections officer, or first responder would receive a mandatory sentence of life without parole. In the wake of the horrific killing of Officers Rivera and Mora, we must pass this bill without delay. Anything less is a signal to criminals across our state that it’s open season on law enforcement.”
“New York Democrats have made major criminal justice errors over the past few years, and New Yorkers and law enforcement officers working to keep them safe are paying dearly for it,” Chairman Kassar said. “The Conservative Party strongly supports this life-without-parole legislation, just as we urge reversal of the no-cash-bail law that sparked the ongoing statewide crime wave.”
Chairman Kassar also highlighted at the news conference an active petition signed by nearly 2,000 New Yorkers to date, calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to immediately remove Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg from office. The controversial D.A. announced earlier this month that his office would no longer pursue prison sentences for a host of serious crimes.
“Gov. Hochul needs to make a choice between public safety and runaway progressivism; there is no in-between,” Chairman Kassar said. “When a district attorney refuses to prosecute serious crimes, he must not remain in office. We call on Gov. Hochul to stand on the side of public safety by dismissing Mr. Bragg from his position this week. There isn’t a moment to waste.”
New York Democratic Leaders at all levels backed a fair and independent reapportionment until it became time to support a fair and independent reapportionment for the legislature and congress.
After hundreds of witnesses, numerous official plans, along with countless suggested plans, and millions of dollars spent, the independent commission folded like a cheap suit. Why? Because Democratic commissioners refused to work with their GOP counterparts.
Within days the Democratic controlled legislature took control of the process and without hesitation fully formulated gerrymandered districts proving that the whole process up until their intervention was a sham.
Fortunately, there can be no steal until all federal and state constitutional requirements are met. The Conservative Party and our attorneys will be watching closely. We will be ready to act swiftly to ensure districts are represented appropriately and held hostage under Democrat power grabs.
Identity politics
With the news of Supreme Court Justice Breyer’s retirement, President Biden will lead the search for a new Supreme Court Judge. He started this search by indicating that he will not be nominating the most qualified person, instead using identity politics as the vehicle driving the search.
Without question there are many highly qualified jurists regardless of race and gender, but when you set out to exclude, instead of include, all you do is lead to greater division.
We should not be filling quotas to satisfy a mob more interested in what you look like rather than what your accomplishments are. Finding the best possible candidate to fill a position is not only common sense, it’s the right thing to do. Putting the interest of the American people first means appointing individuals capable and qualified to do the job. It is my sincere hope we fill this empty Supreme Court seat with a fair and balanced justice, no matter what their ethnic background is, but filling it to check a box is short-sided, wrong, and a dereliction of duty.
54TH Annual Conservative Party Political Action Conference
Our annual conference kicks off at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 400 Old Latham Road, Latham, NY 12210 (518-783-6161) this Sunday and we are pleased to announce our agenda:
Sunday ~ January 30, 2022
Noon Registration ~ Atrium
Master of Ceremonies ~ Jason McGuire, Reg. Vice-Chair/Livingston County Chair
12:15 PM Opening Remarks ~ State Chairman, Gerard Kassar
12:30 PM Elizabeth Lupo Tesoriero ~ America’s Come Back: Children First
1:00 PM Betsy McCaughey ~ How to Run for School Board
1:30 PM Joseph T. Burns, Esq ~ Election Law
2:30 PM Joe Mahoney ~ Icarus on the Hudson: The Fall of Andrew Cuomo
3:00 PM Brittany Grome Antonacci, Acting Cayuga DA ~ Bail Reform A View from the Trenches
3:30 PM John Faso ~ Saving Democracy; Fighting Gerrymandering in NYS
4:00 PM Edmund G. Smyth, Huntington Town Supv. ~ Governing as a Conservative Republican
4:30 PM Karen Cross, National Right to Life ~ Being Pro-Life is NOT Extreme
5:00 PM Congresswoman Claudia Tenney ~ The Biden Administration; More Reasons Why You Should Be Scared
Monday ~ January 31, 2022
8:30 AM Late Registration ~ Atrium
9:00 AM Senator Thomas F. O’Mara ~ Problems and Failures with the NYS Budget
9:30 AM Prospective AG Candidates ~ Michael Henry and John Sarcone ~ Presentation
10:00 AM James Mermigis, Esq. ~ Fighting Vaccine Mandates
10:30 AM NYC Councilwoman Inna Vernikov ~ Non-Citizens Voting
11:00 AM Prospective US Senate Candidates ~ Aleksander Mici and Joe Pinion ~ Presentation
11:30 AM John McLaughlin ~ The Coming Conservative Wave
12:00 Press Conference in the Atrium
12:30 PM Luncheon ~ Gazebo
Featured Speaker ~ Tim Hoefer, President & CEO of Empire Center
6:00 – 7:00PM Reception ~ Gazebo
7:00 – 9:00 PM Dinner ~ Gazebo
Presentation of Highest Conservative Rating Awards to: Senators Gallivan, Helming, Jordan, O’Mara, Ortt, Rath, Tedisco and Assembly Members Angelino, DiPietro, Lemondes, and Manktelow takes place at the Dinner.
Our Legislative Program is released at the dinner.
Senate Democrats failed on Wednesday to use the “nuclear option” to circumvent the filibuster that would have allowed two far left election reform bills to pass the Senate and be sent to the President’s desk for signing.
Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer’s scheme was defeated by two members of his own party reminding us that although he may have “Majority Leader” in his title, he certainly does not command one.
The Democrats attempt to federalize elections and take power away from the states did everything to make voting less free and secure when it completely failed to implement any checks, balances, and safeguard against registration concerns. Simply put the bill, H.R. 1, did nothing but further erode how American’s view elections.
Easier to vote, harder to cheat is something we can all get behind but this legislation did just the opposite. If Democrats are really interested in safeguarding elections, they will work to implement voter ID which has immense support from voters. Until then, we should all be weary of any elected representative that wishes to take power away from the individual states and hand it over to the federal government.
Hochul Budget
The more you spend, the more you save seems to be the philosophy behind Governor Hochul’s over the top spending document.
More than 200 nations around the world have budgets smaller than the $216 billion state budget behemoth Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed today. Her budget is more than those of Texas and Florida combined — each state with significantly higher populations than ours. New York is narrowly competing only with California, a state with twice our population, for the most expensive state government in America. The Hochul budget is almost half the size of Russia’s — Russia’s!
Crime continues to increase and quality of life continues to decrease. This has been the story for the last 8 years and this one seems and feels no different.
Rape, shooting incidents, shooting victims, assault, robbery, and hate crimes are once again outpacing the previous years numbers. The subways of New York City have become a bastion for violent crime and above ground the streets can feel no safer.
It is simple, the more that those most willing to commit crimes are empowered by District Attorneys and the City Council, the more brazen we’re going to see these bad faith actors become. This has led to more liberties being taken by criminals which has directly resulted in more law abiding citizens being the victim of crimes.
The job of our government and elected officials is to first and foremost keep us safe. They have failed. If District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the New York City Council were doing their jobs and allowing the NYPD to do theirs, Michelle Go, who was pushed in front of a moving train last week, would be alive today.
We’re seeing the consequences of “woke” city leadership, far left ideologies, and lack of voter engagement every time we see someone shoved in front of a train or read of a baby struck by a stray bullet.
We will have one more opportunity to correct these disasters this year when Lee Zeldin is on the ballot. Only with new leadership in Albany can we start to move to protect hard working, law abiding tax payers of New York City and New York State.
In case you missed it:
In his first memo to staff on Monday, Jan 3rd, Alvin Bragg said his office “will not seek a carceral sentence” except with homicides and a handful of other cases, including domestic violence felonies, some sex crimes, and public corruption.
54TH Annual Conservative Party Political Action Conference
Our annual conference is just around the corner and our growing list of speakers includes experts across many fields including: National Pollster John McLaughlin, Journalist Joe Mahoney, newly elected NYC Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, National Right to Life PAC Chairwoman Karen Cross, Former Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey, Senior Republican Member of the Senate Finance Committee Tom O’Mara, Elections Attorney Joe Burns, newly elected Town of Huntington Supervisor Edmund J. Smyth and other conservative leaders, legislators, and candidates, maybe even a surprise or two. Our gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin as well as other members of our statewide ticket will be in attendance.
Registration begins at Noon on Sunday and the last session on Sunday will end at approximately 6:00 PM. Monday’s registration begins at 8:30 AM, Sessions begin at 9:00 AM, and lunch is scheduled for 12:30 PM. The evening concludes with a festive Cocktail Reception and Dinner beginning at 6:00 PM with invited conservative endorsed legislators. At the dinner, we present our 2021 Legislator of the Year awards and we release our 2022 Legislative Program.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bill O’Reilly, 212-396-9117
Bill@NovemberTeam.com
January 18, 2022
Statement from New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar on Governor Hochul’s 2022-23 State Budget Proposal
Brooklyn, NY – “More than 200 nations around the world have budgets smaller than the $216 billion state budget behemoth Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed today. Her budget is more than those of Texas and Florida combined — each state with significantly higher populations than ours. New York is narrowly competing only with California, a state with twice our population, for the most expensive state government in America. The Hochul budget is almost half the size of Russia’s — Russia’s!
“Meanwhile, the moving trucks keep arriving. Boy, do we need a change of direction in Albany.”
