The Bronx Conservative Party recently announced its 100th new enrollee of 2024, indicating that the party is making small but increasing inroads in the political scene.
The party saw a 15% increase in enrollments last year and is on track to repeat or increase those numbers, according to Vice Chair Gonzalo Duran. The new Conservative Party registrants include some who were never registered and others who have left the Democratic and Republican parties.
New York’s Conservative Party is tiny, with 154,034 active registered party members — including a mere 2,967 in the Bronx, according to state Board of Elections data as of November 2023. These numbers pale in comparison to the 5.9 million Democrats and 2.7 million Republicans registered across the five boroughs.
But many New Yorkers are unaware that the Conservative Party exists — and that it is separate from the Republican party, said Bronx chair Patrick McManus in an interview with the Bronx Times.
He said many New Yorkers are dissatisfied with both the Democratic and Republican parties, and once they become aware of the option, they often find alignment with the Conservatives.
In the party, the traditional family is of major importance: “We would like to see the country go back to the nuclear family,” said McManus. It also highly values religion, which resonates with Hispanic voters, he said.
McManus said the party is growing its African-American membership, especially among those who have experienced generations of poverty. He said when people realize that Democrats were in charge over all those years of no progress for their families, some begin to explore other political options.
McManus said Democrats just give low-income people “a roof and some food stamps,” whereas the Conservatives aim to give people “better tools” for long-term success. McManus said his party “want[s] to see everybody thrive” — not just get by.
On the national level, the Bronx Conservative Party has endorsed former President Donald Trump — and some of its members have organized a Sept. 21 “Dominicans for Trump” rally in Washington Heights. Trump’s May 2024 rally in Crotona Park drew a big crowd despite President Joe Biden’s overwhelming 2020 win in New York.
In a statement announcing the Trump endorsement, McManus cited the former president’s stances on the sanctity of life, border security and law enforcement and his “remarkable appeal to minority citizens, particularly here in the Bronx.”
But McManus said there is some daylight between his party and the GOP, at least in terms of tactics. While they share many values, he said the Conservative Party is making more efforts to be inclusive. The GOP is “not very active” in the Bronx and is often closed-off to different perspectives, said McManus.
“We promote dissension among ourselves,” he said.
For more information on voter registration, early voting, polling places and General Election Day (Nov. 5), see www.elections.ny.gov.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
