Getting the Conservative Party endorsement is easy, said Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro (C-Staten Island). The nod will got to “who has the most goods.”
Historically, the Republicans have had the Conservative goods most of the time, though the Democrats have had their moments, too. But going into next year, Democrats in the borough are hoping that they might be able to snatch the backing of the 4,193-member strong Staten Island Conservative Party from the GOP.
Michael McMahon (D-Staten Island) received the Conservative Party endorsement in his two Council races. Going into his all-but-announced bid for borough president next year, McMahon said being on the Conservative line could make the difference in a tight race between his likely Republican opponent, Council Member James Oddo.
“The Conservative Party has a very strong tradition in supporting winning candidates,” McMahon said. “Anyone who runs for office in Staten Island, in particular island-wide office, will court the Conservative Party for support.”
McMahon said his past endorsements by the party put him in a good position for future support, though he is a Democrat. He said the party’s endorsement process is based on political pragmatism instead of ideology.
“You don’t have to be ideologically pure but you can’t be a pinko communist,” he said. “I think you have to have a good working relationship with people in the party.”
McMahon is not the only one reaching across party lines. Oddo is courting Democrat consultant Hank Sheinkopf to advise his run.
Bipartisanship comes naturally to Staten Island politics, Oddo said.
“Often, we still feel it’s Staten Island versus the world,” he said. “We work shoulder to shoulder with each other on a daily basis, so it’s not a foreign concept to us.”
That, together with tight races between Republicans and Democrats for many offices in Staten Island, intensifies the power of the Conservative Party, said Richard Flanagan, an associate professor of political science at the College of Staten Island.
“Things are pretty tight here between the majority parties, so they still matter,” he said.
Molinaro was integral in the creation of New York’s Conservative Party. Formed in 1962, the Conservative Party was the answer to New York’s liberal Republicans. The party backed its own candidates, most notably James L. Buckley, a one-term United States senator from New York who won his seat on the Conservative Party Line.
Though Republican ideology has moved steadily to the right since the 1960s, Molinaro still sees the value in having a Conservative Party to help provide a prod.
“There’s a lot of disappointment in the Republican Party: too much ‘country club’ set,” Molinaro said. “It was the iron worker who elected Sen. Buckley.”
More often, though, the Conservative Party power is through cross-endorsing, which Molinaro believes both delivers votes on the party line and demonstrates to others that the candidate with the Conservative endorsement might be worth attention.
“We’ve made the difference many, many times,” Molinaro said. “The reason why people respond to us is that we’re selective in who we pick.”
And Molinaro has shown himself willing to use the Conservative Party line to try to hold sway over borough politics, as he did in last year’s race for district attorney.
In Dan Donovan’s first bid for district attorney, the Conservative Party line gave him his margin of victory. Molinaro backed his former aide.
But after Donovan recused himself from prosecuting Molinaro’s grandson for a parole violation stemming from assaulting a paperboy and his office prosecuted the younger Molinaro, resulting in a five-year sentence, Donovan earned Molinaro’s wrath. The borough president, who felt Donovan should have stayed on the case, endorsed Donovan’s Democratic opponent.
The state and borough Conservative Party, however, endorsed Donovan, who was re-elected.
“It was a personal decision on the borough president’s behalf,” said Mike Long, the state party’s chairman. “The party disagreed with him. It certainly was an issue I disagreed with him on.”
Since the public schism, Molinaro has begun attending Democratic dinners and he has announced his support for the comptroller candidacy of Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión (D).
Staten Island Democratic chair John Gulino said that Molinaro was invited to the dinners, as all party chairs are, out of custom. But he acknowledged that having the Conservatives at the Democratic table could help his party expand its base of power.
“I’m trying to create a presence for the Democrats in the south shore in Staten Island,” he said. “That might mean more candidates getting the Conservative Party endorsement.”