In the United States, the Conservative Party refers to a collection of state-level parties that operate independently and advocate for conservative principles. Currently, there is no national Conservative Party.[1] Historically, many of these parties emerged from divisions within the Democratic and Republican parties, supporting a variety of conservative ideologies, including fiscal conservatism, social conservatism, states' rights, and nationalism.
Although there has not been a national Conservative Party, the Republican Party currently follows the conservative ideology, with third parties Constitution Party and American Independent Party following the Paleoconservatism ideology. In the late 1960s, the American Independent Party was rebranded as the American Conservative Party in some states. A separate American Conservative Party was later established in 2008 but was decommissioned in 2016. Meanwhile, the Conservative Party USA was organized on January 6, 2009, as a 527 organization aimed at building and managing state party affiliates under the national Conservative Party USA banner.[citation needed]
In 1965, a new Conservative Party of Virginia was formed in response to Mills Godwin's nomination as the Democratic candidate for governor, which the party opposed due to his outreach to African-American voters.[2] Around 300 delegates gathered in Richmond, Virginia, to officially establish the party. They nominated William J. Story Jr., the assistant superintendent of schools from Chesapeake, for governor, Reid T. Putney, a forestry consultant from Goochland, for lieutenant governor, and John W. Carter for attorney general.[3][4] In 1969, the party nominated Beverly McDowell for governor, but he placed fourth in the election, receiving 1.16% of the popular vote.[5]
Although the Independent Republican candidates were defeated in the general election, the Conservatives reduced Republican majorities in the legislature and saw some local success through collaboration with Independent Republicans. This cooperation enabled the election of Edmund W. M. Mackey to Congress from for the 2nd district.[7] Despite these limited gains, the failure of the Conservative Party in 1874 pushed the Democrats to reorganize, leading to their resurgence in the 1876 elections, which ultimately marked the end of the Conservative Party in South Carolina.
In 1962, the Conservative Party of New York State was established in response to dissatisfaction with the perceived liberalism of New York's Republican Party. Using New York's fusion voting system, which allows candidates to appear on multiple party lines in the same election, the party sought to counterbalance the influence of the Liberal Party of New York.[8] While it often endorses Republican candidates, the party has withheld support from Republicans it considers too liberal.
The party been described by The New York Times as having "a successful electoral record in a decidedly blue state in which the Conservatives have elbowed the Republican Party to the right."[14] As of 2018, the party holds Row C on New York ballots due to receiving the third-highest number of votes among political parties in multiple gubernatorial elections.
In 1963, several candidates ran as Conservatives for the New Jersey Assembly in Essex and Bergen counties, reflecting a nationwide split within the Republican Party. This divide saw northeastern states, including New Jersey, dominated by the party's liberal faction. These Conservative candidates opposed the social liberal policies of the Dwight D. Eisenhoweradministration, advocating instead for the emerging socially conservative views championed by U.S. SenatorBarry Goldwater. The split subsided after Goldwater secured the Republican nomination during the 1964 National Convention.
In 1992, a separate New Jersey Conservative Party was founded by Tom Blomquist, who had previously run in the 1989 gubernatorial election. Blomquist ran as a Conservative in the 1993 gubernatorial race, earning 0.21% of the vote.[20][21] The party gained the endorsement of United We Stand America in 1995 and fielded approximately 60 candidates for the New Jersey General Assembly, as well as candidates in all districts for the 1998 U.S. House of Representatives elections.[22][23] In 2001, it was involved in a lawsuit advocating for New Jersey voters to have the right to join third parties. Following the election of Donald Trump in 2016, third-party registrations surged across New Jersey, with the Conservative Party becoming the state's fourth-largest political party by 2018.[24]
Delaware
In 2009, a Conservative Party of Delaware had a website with a mailing address in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was affiliated with the Conservative Party USA and had no formal leadership. In 2024, the party achieved official recognition after Delaware residents registered as Conservative and met the state’s qualification threshold. Libertarian activist Will McVay, formerly of the Libertarian Party of Delaware, took the opportunity to reorganize the party. In the same year, the party nominated perennial candidate Vermin Supreme and comedian Jonathan Realz for President and Vice President of the United States, while endorsing Jon Roe for the 2024 Delaware Senate election.[25][26]
Illinois
In 2018, Illinois State Senator Sam McCann left the Republican Party to establish the Conservative Party of Illinois for his gubernatorial campaign.[27] Positioning himself as an "independent conservative," he explained that his candidacy aimed to prevent "two billionaires from Chicago" (Bruce Rauner and J. B. Pritzker) from dominating the general election.[28] McCann secured his spot on the ballot by gathering 65,000 signatures but ultimately finished third in the general election, receiving 4.23% of the popular vote.[29][30]
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