WI: Conservative Party of NY becomes a national party?

Although the Liberal Party of NY would have been more likely to become a national party, I could see an instance where a Buckley-style third party could affect the political landscape in major ways...

Anger over the moderate stances of Nixon and Ford, coupled with Rockefeller's and Kissinger's growing influence in the Republican party lead many conservatives to contemplate forming their own party. The lowpoint of the GOP in the 1970's might have paved the way for a right-wing third party...

I could imagine a three-way race in 1980 between President Carter, George Bush, and a "Conservative" candidate, maybe Reagan or Phil Crane. Perhaps in 1984, we could see a the Conservative Party win the Presidency, or at least, eclipse the Republican party.

What are your thoughts...
 
The reason why the Liberal and Conservative parties of New York were able to build effective bases is because New York had electoral fusion laws, that allowed a multitude of parties to endorse the same candidate, diminishing spoiler effects and the disincentive to building an alternative party structure.
 
The reason why the Liberal and Conservative parties of New York were able to build effective bases is because New York had electoral fusion laws, that allowed a multitude of parties to endorse the same candidate, diminishing spoiler effects and the disincentive to building an alternative party structure.

I suppose...

However, Bill Buckley ran as the Conservative candidate for mayor in 1965 in order to spoil the Republican/Liberal candidate John Lindsay. (Buckley failed, btw). Bill's brother.

Still, I think that the conservative party of NY would serve as the basic ideological model for a national third party.
 
I suppose...

However, Bill Buckley ran as the Conservative candidate for mayor in 1965 in order to spoil the Republican/Liberal candidate John Lindsay. (Buckley failed, btw). Bill's brother.

Still, I think that the conservative party of NY would serve as the basic ideological model for a national third party.
It could. The problem, though, is that the selective pressures of Duverger's law are particularly relevant in the American political system. Not only are all lawmakers elected from single-member constituencies via a first past the post method, so are presidential electors. Winner-take-all means there is a strong disincentive against third parties.

Unless there's a major structural change, I cannot see either the NY Conservatives or Liberals moving out of their home state. The best they can hope for is replacing one of the National parties in state politics, but still affiliating with a national party for presidential elections, like the Non-Partisan League and Farmer-Labor Party did in North Dakota and Minnesota respectively.
 
Unlike the Liberal Party of New York, the Conservative Party of New York never really had a chance to be built upon outside of the state; the Liberal Party at the very least was designed to do that originally. Can it be done? Sure, but it would require a host of PODs that may or may not even directly relate to it, or for that matter easily identifiable. At least with the Liberal Party there are a select few PODs that are openly visible that we can carry out with relative ease.
 
Top