As the State Chairman representing the New York State Conservative Party and its values, Chairman Gerard Kassar wears many hats. He serves as a spokesperson across New York State, ensuring organizational cohesion. The New York State Conservative Party is unique as the only formal conservative party in the nation.
The following questions were formulated from a diverse group, including the general population, county members, and even county executive members. In this no-holds-barred interview, I covered a wide range of topics to gain a broad perspective of the Conservative Party and its head official.
1. Current Headlines
Question: What are your thoughts on current headlines such as migrants, crime, etc.?
Chairman Kassar: Well, the migrant issue is the biggest one. I just put a statement out a few minutes ago, frankly, about this being a sham. What Biden announced today concerning the limitation to 2,500 illegal asylum seekers a day adds up to 912,500 asylum seekers that he is saying can legally come into the country under his watch. What is that? And then he also announced he’s eliminating 350,000 active cases. This is a Democratic ploy to get us off his back when he’s so wrong that he can’t even find a governor anywhere in this country anymore that agrees with him or Democrats, a terrible president doing terrible things. That’s how I feel about that.
I think some of the bigger issues affecting us downstate are congestion pricing, inflation, and crime in general. I take the subways. I’m going to be very straight with you. I’ve been a guy who spent a lot of my life in Manhattan. I am a Brooklyn boy, raised here (the NY State Conservative Party Headquarters is in Brooklyn), but there have been a lot of changes. If I’m in Manhattan now after a certain hour and I walk out of a building, I look to my left and I look to my right. I never used to do that.
2. Role in Shaping Legislation and Addressing Innovation and Crime Reduction
Question: What role do you play in shaping legislation, and how do you propose to address innovation and crime reduction within the city?
Chairman Kassar: I’m extremely active. Look, I had a 40-year career in the state legislature, and I was a very senior staff person. There’s a lot of stuff out there that I have something to do with. I’m constantly in touch with the legislatures and Congress. I was in touch with members of Congress this morning about a few things. That’s a big part of my day.
I check in with a lot of the party leaders to ensure I’m on the right point on many issues. We ask party leaders to provide us with things they want to see in our legislative agenda and to keep us informed about what they think is happening in their county. We recommend that counties do their own press releases. For example, Pat (Bronx Party Chairman), Fran (Brooklyn County Chairwoman), Staten Island, and Queens occasionally do their own press releases.
I’ve made suggestions. We may not have a say in producing a lot of legislation because we’re not in the majority in the state legislature, but I do believe we’ve stopped some bad things from happening. While we can’t always make, things happen, we have a pretty good history of preventing undesirable legislation.
3. Collaboration with the Republican Party
Question: How can the Conservative Party collaborate with the Republican Party to enact necessary governmental changes?
Chairman Kassar: Every county has its own relationship with the GOP, some better than others. Our natural allies are the GOP. In places like Brooklyn or other areas for example with very Orthodox Jewish communities, you’ll find that many Democrats actually fit comfortably with Conservative Party philosophy. But generally, our natural allies are the GOP.
Sometimes, the Conservative Party is not only a Good Housekeeping seal of approval for candidates, but we often attract people who are not comfortable with the label of being a Republican. If I could ask every New Yorker if they identify as a Republican, Democrat, or Conservative, my suspicion is that “Conservative” would come out ahead of “Republican,” though “Democrat” would likely come out first.
Our leaders must recognize that we offer the GOP something valuable. Before we sign off on 9 out of 10 things they want us to support—which I probably have no problem with—that one out of 10 things we want to see done should be part of the final conversation.
4. Donald J. Trump
Question: Do you believe Presidential candidate Donald J. Trump’s visit to the Bronx made any difference?
Chairman Kassar: Oh, I absolutely do. I spent the day at court with him. I met him at his Trump Tower. That was the Monday before you guys (the Bronx) did the rally. I spent the whole day with him, had a chance to talk with him quite a bit, and he was extremely excited about going to the Bronx. They had announced it the week prior, like the Wednesday or Thursday before. So that Monday, as much as he was in the courtroom, he wanted to really talk about the Bronx. I know it made a difference to him. I know it made a difference to his campaign, and I know it made a difference to people in the city of New York who are Trump supporters. There are a lot of us who want to see that sort of activity. I mean, I know Donald Trump a little bit and have actually known him a lot longer than he’s been president, and I can tell you he’s a true New Yorker. He’s the type of person we can get behind. He sounds like a New Yorker. He acts like a New Yorker. And I’ll bet my last dollar he’s been to the Bronx and done more things in the Bronx than most Democratic elected officials who are not from the Bronx can ever claim to do. And that, to me, is a reminder that we have a New York City president we can get behind.
Follow-up Question: Do you think he’s planning more visits to any other boroughs?
Chairman Kassar: I spoke with his senior people. Right now, their plan is to do a very large rally, probably at Madison Square Garden. People don’t realize that because he spends a good part of the year in Bedminster, New Jersey, which is only 40 minutes from midtown, he’s actually in the region a lot. But because it’s a presidential run and he’s got certain states that he has to focus on—there are like seven or eight of them besides New York, which is in play—I can’t tell you just how the time works out. Now, let me say this to you: Do I think that Lara Trump, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., or Melania could appear in places in New York State to do stuff besides him? I think that’s absolutely possible. Not just a possibility, but a reality. But I can’t say for sure, besides him planning one big rally in the city, what else he could do here.
5. The Bronx
Question: What plans do you have to assist the Bronx?
Chairman Kassar: I assist all the counties. The state Conservative Party provides full-time legal, social media, and technical support to all the counties, directly accessible from us. We provide lists to the counties that could be useful in fundraising. We obviously monitor state legislation. This morning, I spent at least an hour and a half with the legislative leaders’ offices concerning end-of-session legislation. We have your backs, and I was on this morning for several hours trying to work things through from our end. We lose a lot of battles in Albany, but nobody can say we don’t try. And I will constantly try because sooner or later, we will stop losing.
The whole petition process is done through the state party. County parties do the petitioning, but all the forms and legal background on that, the party calls, and the authorizations in many cases, the formatting—all of that is managed by us. We actually spend most of our time working on behalf of the counties, but each county has different needs. Queens is an unorganized county, but they are planning to organize; they’re working on it. This will be the first time since 2017 that they will be holding a judicial convention. I went out there with Andrew, my assistant, and we did a lot of the petitioning ourselves with other people from Queens. We led the petition effort. If you were looking for me during petitioning season, you would have found me every night petitioning in Brooklyn, where I used to be the chairman for 30 years, or in Queens. We’re very hands-on. It’s interesting in the Bronx because they have given me an enormous amount to work with. And I understand that they may be doing a watch party for the 27th (Presidential debate in June), and I plan to be with them there if that takes place.
6. County Chairmen
Question: What qualities do you believe make a good county chairman?
Chairman Kassar: I think availability is crucial. You’ve got to be very available. The ability to raise some money is also important. You need to be congenial. I mean, you could be available but be a very nasty person. You’ve got to be congenial. You also need to have a bit of talent for communications, be willing to talk to the press, and work with those who have an interest in working hard. You cannot be a county chairman who doesn’t lead by example. You must lead by example. It doesn’t mean you have to be standing on every street corner every hour of every day. But let’s say you went out and registered a lot of people, like in the Bronx. You want a county chairman that absolutely understands the value of what you’re doing and supports you in every way. And frankly, in the Bronx, they’ve been very fortunate with Pat McManus as their county chairman.
Follow-up Question: Is he (Pat McManus) the last chairman elected?
Chairman Kassar: No, we have new chairmen coming on board all the time around the state. In fact, I just got off the phone earlier today about a new one that’s going to be upstate. We have 50 organizations, and there’s turnover all the time. In fact, I’m going to speak in Queens tonight, and that chairman is a new chairman.
Additional Follow-up Question: Is it a normal routine for you to go out and speak to them?
Chairman Kassar: I travel around the state all the time. Last Wednesday, I started in Albany, did two events, then I did another event the next day and another in the morning. Then I did an event in Orange and another in Rockland. This weekend, I campaigned all weekend in Brooklyn. Tonight, I’m going out to Queens. I’ve got events in Nassau and Suffolk in the next two weeks. My problem arises when I have to go, say, up to Syracuse. I do it all the time, but that’s an airplane trip and a different type of scheduling. Up to Albany, I hop in my car and just do things.
7. Kristy Marmorato
Question: Was Councilwoman Kristy Marmorato’s victory a surprise, and how can you maintain that momentum?
Chairman Kassar: Well, it wasn’t a complete surprise because she was raising a lot of money. She’s a well-known person in the community. There’s been a general change in attitudes in the city of New York towards our view. And she’s very articulate. Although the district clearly leans Democratic and she was running against an incumbent, I wouldn’t say I was surprised. I would say it was just a very pleasant win that I thought was quite doable. We have limited hopes in the city to pick up seats, and we always thought she would be one of the better ones. As for the momentum, it’s about issues, organizations, raising money, and finding good candidates. That one just clicked on all cylinders, frankly.
Follow-up Question: The first win in 40 years is quite significant. So, wouldn’t you say it was a bit of a surprise?
Chairman Kassar: Well, I would say I’m very pleased. You might not be aware of this, but in Brooklyn, come January 1st, Fran (Fran Vella-Marrone), the Brooklyn chairwoman, will have the most elected officials in the history of the Brooklyn Conservative Party going back to 1962. The number of Assemblymen, state senators, Republicans, some Democrats, and some Conservatives. The number of elected officials the Brooklyn Conservative Party will have is the greatest it has had in the party’s history. So, Brooklyn is in the city, and you’ll see that the momentum itself is leaning towards us. It’s not just leaning towards the Republican conservatives; it’s actually leaning towards the conservatives because we talk more about issues. And that’s not a criticism of the GOP. It’s just the reality of who we are.
8. Message to County Members
Question: What message do you wish to convey to county conservative members?
Chairman Kassar: Well, we’re very much open to the thoughts and views of anyone who wishes to be active with us. I mean, we’re the Conservative Party. It’s pretty clear where we come from. Our platform is public, our website is kept current, and our leaders are hopefully reachable. We run a lot of candidates for office around the state. We are extremely active. I don’t look at us as a third party. I look at us as another party, and we’re extremely active. We have 150,000 members, and we get 300,000 votes. We are the only other political party in America that Donald Trump is supported by.
Okay, whatever anybody hears, thinks, or believes, they know he only appears on two lines in the United States: The Republican line and the Conservative Party line. That’s how I’ve actually known him for so long. He used to attend Conservative Party events in the early ’80s, long before he had any interest in politics. As a developer in Manhattan, he used to go to the dinners with his friends. He had friends in the party, and you could see him all the time at Manhattan dinners.
Follow-up Question: How can the county parties aid in your efforts?
Chairman Kassar: I don’t believe that the top of the Conservative Party is actually the head of the Conservative Party. I believe it’s a bottom-up movement of individuals operating on the county level, like I did for 30 years, that really drives the whole effort. The state party should be supportive, doing certain things that aren’t easy for the counties to do. I mean, I’m going to do a legislative rating. It’s easier for us to do it than for you.
But what you guys and every county can do is to remain active and give me something to work with. When I pick up energy, the state party picks up energy from the counties, and there’s a lot of energy in the Bronx. I’ll tell you that.
9. Strategies Post-Cuomo
Question: Following Cuomo’s reduction of parties to four, what strategies have been implemented to attract voters to the Conservative Party?
Chairman Kassar: Well, first, they didn’t really—it was the state legislature with Cuomo’s suggestion, and it was really to eliminate all the parties, including the Working Families Party. I sue all the time, just so you know. I’m in court constantly. I have many active court cases right now, and I keep attorneys on retainer because it’s the only way we can fight sometimes in New York State—to beat them at a local level in the state Supreme Court and try to beat them in the higher courts, which sometimes we do and sometimes we don’t. But on that one, we won, and we stopped them from implementing a law that would have eliminated our Wilson-Pakula ability and fusion voting. Fusion voting would have been eliminated, and we won that one outright.
So, what they ended up doing was they were allowed to increase the total number of votes you needed to become a legal party. It used to be only 50,000, but they moved it to 130,000 or 2%. It’s going to be 180,000 in the presidential year. And they changed it from just the gubernatorial year to that. I’ll tell you what I simply do. I raise money and I run campaigns. I’ve raised and spent more money in the years that I’ve been chairman on campaigns than the entire history of the Conservative Party combined in terms of fundraising and spending money—entire history. I became chairman in February 2019. As of right now, I’ve raised and spent more money on campaigns than from 1962 through 2018 combined. And I will continue to raise money and spend it on campaigns so that we get votes.
I run a very large social media operation, spending thousands of dollars on social media. We do a lot of radio. You don’t always hear the radio in the city, to be honest with you. Radio in the city can be $300 for a minute. But I run, I do a lot of radio around the state. Every registered Conservative gets two text messages and two robo-calls from the state party asking them to vote for the local candidates. And I still spend a lot of money. I actually spend a lot of money asking people in the Bronx to vote Conservative.
Follow-up Question: When you say campaigns, you mean individual people campaigns?
Chairman Kassar: Well, no, maybe for someone like for Lee Zeldin, but generally speaking, it’s more: come out and vote Conservative, this is what we stand for. There are exceptions. If I get what I call a buy-in. And what I mean by that is let’s just say you have a specific candidate in the Bronx that I can get better prices for running it through the state party and you get us contributions. I will go back into the Bronx and spend the money on that candidate saying vote for that candidate.
But the point would be that I’m doing this because, we keep people on retainer that don’t cost you anything besides the social media. We keep people on retainer for the production of radio spots, mail houses. We have a mail house, Voyager, it’s out in Minnesota. These things are all under our constant interaction, and we get better prices.
10. Conservative Legislators and Upcoming Elections
Question: What do you think it would take for a conservative legislator to be elected in this next election?
Chairman Kassar: We’ve had in the last 10 years, five or six of them. They’re not there right now, but they come and go. It basically takes an individual who wants to run for office in a winnable seat. Frankly, if it’s not a winnable seat, it’s still extremely important that a person runs. But if they want to get elected, it’s going to be more of a select group of seats. But we need to fill every spot.
We also need to garner another major line, like the GOP line. I would participate in helping that come about with the local county chairman.
Follow-up Question: So, there have been conservative legislatures in recent years?
Chairman Kassar: No, they’ve had the Republican line too, but they’re registered conservatives. As recently as a couple of years ago in the state Assembly, there were a bunch of congressmen. There have hardly been any elected solely on the Conservative line. There’s hardly any Republicans in the state elected solely on the Republican line either. They usually have the Conservative line too. The 10 Republican congressmen in New York State all have the Conservative line, and four of them would have lost without it.
So, there have been more than one. In the last 10 years, probably seven or eight of them. Serphin Maltese, who goes back further, was the state chairman of the Conservative Party and a state senator for 18 years. We have a picture of him somewhere on the wall. Our leadership must prioritize winning elections with candidates who agree with our philosophy. In some cases, the best person is going to be a member of the Conservative Party.
11. Voting for Biden
Question: Is there any scenario where you would vote for Biden?
Chairman Kassar: Would that happen? No, absolutely not. I am a believer in this country. I believe that we should all be working for a common good and goal. I actually believe that Biden might be the worst president in the last 100 years. And people are going to get mad at me when I say this to you, I wouldn’t have said the same about Obama. I didn’t agree with Obama. I thought his healthcare policies were crazy, but I wouldn’t tell you I thought Obama was incompetent. I just would never vote for him because I don’t agree with him. Biden’s incompetence is magnified by idiocy, and that’s bad.
I have had a few brief encounters with Chairman Kassar over the last year, but they have all been quite brief. Attending political meetings and being asked detailed questions afterwards can be excessive. Securing a meeting with the chairman was not difficult, but getting a one-on-one while he is not on the move is a bit challenging. Since there are always more questions to ask, I hope to provide you with more insights from Chairman Kassar and the Conservative Party in the near future.
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