The Conservative Party of New York has been the minor party that runs candidates in the largest share of its state’s legislative seats, compared to any other minor party. This has been true continuously starting in 1970. The Conservatives hit their peak (for number of legislative nominees) in 1982, when the party had nominees on the ballot in over 92% of New York state’s legislative races (195 nominees out of 211 races).

However, there are signs that the Conservative machine is flagging slightly. In 2008, it had nominees in only 149 legislative races (out of 212 races). That was the lowest number it had run since 1964. Meanwhile, the Working Families Party of New York is gaining. In 2008 it ran nominees in 142 legislative races, its best showing so far.

Of course, since these two New York parties mostly cross-endorse Republican or Democratic nominees, the two New York minor parties have an easier time with candidate recruitment than most minor parties do. Still, it is always a sizeable amount of work to place that many nominees on each party’s primary ballot.

On December 30, a small ship bearing 16 passengers, including Cynthia McKinney, was rammed by Israeli warboats. The purpose of the visit was to deliver medical supplies to Gaza, and to transport some physicians. This link has the compiled CNN stories. The second film, narrated by CNN reporter Karl Penhaul, a passenger on the ship, lasts 6 minutes. The first and third films are interviews with McKinney.

Israel’s Consulate in Atlanta issued a statement on December 30, saying “Cynthia McKinney has taken it upon herself to commit an act of provocation, leading a small boat of supposed assistants into the conflict zone. She endangered herself, her assistants, and the vessel’s crew. The Israeli navy hailed Ms. McKinney but the former Congresswoman failed to respond.” But according to CNN’s reporter on the boat, the boat’s radio was operational throughout the incident and no message was received from the Israeli boats. The incident was in international waters.

Stewart Alexander has declared that he will seek the Peace & Freedom Party gubernatorial nomination in California in 2010. He was the Socialist Party’s vice-presidential nominee in 2008.

No member of the Socialist Party has ever before captured a Peace & Freedom Party nomination for a top office (president, vice-president, governor, or U.S. Senator). But Alexander has deep ties with the Peace & Freedom Party. If he gets the nomination, he will be the first male Peace & Freedom Party gubernatorial nominee since 1970. The party has always run a woman for Governor in all the years in which it was on the ballot, for the period 1974 through 2006.