Conservative Party candidates running for city offices next year met in the Bronx on Dec. 14 to bolster their small but growing presence in the borough. The Viable Candidate Event, held at a Morrisania neighborhood church, was billed by the party as the city’s largest gathering of conservative leaders in 2024.
The Bronx Conservative Party — which is distinct from the Republican Party — has seen a recent rise in its registered membership to around 3,000, in keeping with the borough’s increased support for President-elect Donald Trump, who earned nearly 30% of Bronxites’ votes in November. Statewide, the party has just over 154,000 members.
With momentum on conservatives’ side, the Bronx played host to several candidates with unexpected roads into politics, including some who thought they hated politics and some who used to be Democrats. Several had previously run unsuccessfully on the conservative line, even as recently as November, but now see the opportunity to capitalize on the “Trump bump” in the reliably blue state of New York.
The candidates speak
The event was organized by Bronx Conservative Party vice chair and mayoral candidate Gonzalo Duran and featured speeches by over a dozen candidates for city council, public advocate and district leaders from various parts of the city.
Duran acknowledged that Conservative Party candidates have a tough hill to climb in order to win in New York. “We won as a team with Trump winning, but individually, we lost,” he said.
The pillars of Duran’s own mayoral platform are “leadership, transparency, anti-flipflopping and anti-corruption,” he said. He called for the recruitment of more party members, leading to more contributions and volunteers, with the goal of putting up candidates for every major office in the city.
Thus far, the party’s effort has paid off, and it’s had to book larger and larger rooms for events, he said. “Now we’re getting our chops in there.”
Tyreek Goodman, a Bronxite who announced a bid for City Council, ran for the 84th Assembly District on the Conservative Party line in November and garnered just 3% of the vote. He used the Dec. 14 event—along with several other attendees—to launch his latest campaign and generate support from fellow conservatives.
Goodman said he used to be disillusioned with politics and never saw himself running for office, but Duran challenged him not to judge others if he was unwilling to step up to the plate.
“It opened the door for me to say, ‘I can do it too,’” Goodman said, adding that the potential to change a blue state to red begins with engaging the youth — “making it real for them.”
James Washington Ward, a council candidate who announced a bid for District 12, which covers a northern portion of the Bronx, also took an unexpected path into politics. He said he often got into trouble as a kid but was fortunate to have a community around him that opened his eyes to many different ways of life.
“I’m running because we don’t have a community no more,” he said.
Ward cited a song from the hit musical “Hamilton” that refers to the importance of being “in the room where it happens” — the idea that while some get distracted by fighting, others remain in the background making deals to get things done.
“I can’t create change unless I’m in that room,” Ward said.
Denise Smith, who said she is running for Bronx City Council District 11, said she loved the diversity represented among the candidates and guests. She said she has lived in Norwood for 30 years and is new to the Conservative Party.
Smith said that youth in particular are suffering a “great desperation” for more activities and events, and that they should have more opportunities to learn basic skills and career options. She also said public safety and education are in need of an “S.O.S.”
“People are fed up with a system that doesn’t work,” Smith said.
Emmanuel Findlay, who announced his candidacy for a Bronx seat on the City Council, pointed to infrastructure problems in the borough and apparent inequities in addressing longstanding issues. While he did not mention specific incidents, the partial building collapse last December at 1915 Billingsley Terrace stands out as an example of failure to maintain Bronx infrastructure.
“If these buildings were anywhere but in the Bronx, they would not be treated this way,” he said. Findlay added that the city gave too many of its resources to undocumented migrants. “We need to take care of our own people first.”
‘Is he really Black?’
Throughout the event, most speakers stuck to common conservative themes of parental control and increased public safety.
While the meeting largely struck a unifying tone, public advocate candidate Angela Aquino from Manhattan took a different approach. She said the incumbent, Jumaane Williams, was out of touch with New Yorkers and questioned his race, asking, “Is he really Black?”
She explained that in her view Williams has not received real punishment for his multiple civil disobedience arrests, arguing that most Black people would have faced much harsher penalties.
“The most that happened to him was suffer[ing] a stop and frisk. And he cried like a big baby when we know that the real Black person really gets arrested and gets convicted. That’s Black.”
The Bronx Times reached out to Williams’ office and is awaiting response.
Throughout the rest of the event, several speakers emphasized the need to put up conservative candidates for city races, even if they have slim chances of winning.
Grace Marrero, who said she “may be running” for Bronx Borough President, expressed frustration at the lack of options for voters. “These incumbents won without even campaigning,” she said. If she does run for Borough President, Marrero said her candidacy would at least “put a bee in someone’s bonnet.”
After the speeches, Duran told the Bronx Times he was pleased at the number and variety of candidates and grateful for those who voiced support for his mayoral bid. Their endorsements “show me that I do have a chance” at winning, said Duran.
He said the event, which included a Republican party member and a moderate Democrat, was designed to be open to all. “I’m very bipartisan,” said Duran.
This story was updated Dec. 17 at 9:00 a.m. to correct the spelling of Marrero’s name.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
