New York Conservative Party Has Best Gubernatorial Showing Since 2014

Unofficial vote totals at the New York State Board of Elections website show that the Conservative Party polled 5.31% of the vote for Governor. It nominated Lee Zeldin, the Republican nominee. That is the Conservative Party’s best showing for the office at the top of the ballot (Governor, President) since 2014, when it got 6.57%.

The Working Families Party, which nominated Democratic nominee Kathy Hochul, got 4.33%, which is not quite as high as the party’s presidential showing in 2020, which was 4.49%.

Connecticut News Story on Status of Minor Parties

This Connecticut newspaper story explains the status of the various minor parties in that state. The Independent Party only polled .98% of the total vote for Governor, so it is no longer ballot-qualified for that office. But it polled over 1% for some other statewide races, so it is still on the ballot in the future for many offices. Connecticut’s vote test is unique in the nation; it goes office-by-office.

The Griebel for Connecticut Party also polled less than 1% for Governor, and that had been the only for which it had been qualified.

The Green Party didn’t poll as much as 1% for any statewide race.

The Libertarian Party polled over 1% for president in 2020, so it is still qualified for that office and some other offices.

The Working Families Party is ballot-qualified for most federal and state offices, but not President.

Only Thirteen States Don’t Have Any Qualified Parties Other than Republican and Democratic

Currently, only thirteen states don’t have any qualified parties other than the Republican and Democratic Parties. They are Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington.

Anyone lobbying state legislators in any of those thirteen states might make use of this statistic, to argue that the definition of “party” in those thirteen states is too severe.