Last year, the Conservative Party lost a full year of momentum when we failed to put forward a candidate who truly wanted to make the effort to run for Mayor.
It wasn’t just a political setback — it was a missed opportunity to show New Yorkers that the Conservative Party still stands for something real.
The candidate who ended up being chosen happened to come from the Bronx, but to be completely transparent, no Bronx Conservative Party member had any say in that decision.
Like too many decisions made in politics today, it happened behind closed doors. And that’s part of what I’m fighting to change.
When no one else from our party stepped up, I was the only Conservative member to throw my hat into the Mayoral race. Every single Bronx Conservative voting member supported me, but once again, backroom politics from party leadership stalled the progress we could have made together.
To their credit, leadership didn’t get in my way when I ran for Public Advocate — though I doubt it was out of enthusiasm. Two things made that campaign possible: Curtis Sliwa’s public endorsement and the fact that the New York City Republican Party had already given me their line. It would’ve made no sense for the Conservative Party to halt the process of one of its most visible members, so they stepped aside — and for that, I’m grateful.
Even then, I wasn’t invited to State or County Conservative events. Not one. Meanwhile, the Republican Party welcomed me to their fundraisers, forums, and panels with open arms. It was clear who wanted to grow their movement and who preferred to keep it small and quiet.
Still, I don’t say this out of bitterness — I say it because it’s the truth.
At the end of the day, the numbers speak louder than the politics. In the citywide races, I received the highest vote count of any Republican candidate, and I did it as a Conservative.
Many people ask why I haven’t just joined the Republican Party. The answer is simple — I’ve spent years investing in and rebuilding the Bronx Conservative Party from the ground up. I’ve seen its potential, and I believe in its purpose. My loyalty is to the people who believed in me, not the politics above me.
I could never return to the Democratic Party — their growing embrace of socialism pushes me further away every day. But I can’t stand by and watch the Conservative Party lose its courage, either.
We can do better. We must do better.
This past election cycle, I started an Independent Party— and we made real traction. It showed me that there’s still an incredible hunger for honest, accountable leadership in New York. It reminded me that real change doesn’t come from the top down; it comes from the ground up.
I’m not writing this to attack anyone. I’m writing this because I love this movement, this borough, and this state. I’ve fought too hard to stay silent while bureaucracy and ego slow down what should be a powerful force for good.
I’m not running from the Conservative Party — I’m reminding it who we are.
We stand for freedom, accountability, and the power of the people. And if we ever forget that, then we’ve already lost.