Irene Estrada, the Conservative Party of New York State’s nominee for mayor of New York City this November, has recently received local media attention for her campaign and reasons for entering the race, following a press conference in the Bronx she participated in last month.
Media coverage of the mayoral field this cycle has largely focused on Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and several high-profile independents, leaving Estrada with relatively little attention despite being on the ballot. Among independent candidates, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, incumbent Eric Adams, and attorney Jim Walden have received the most media coverage, though only Cuomo remains in the race. Joseph Hernandez, a biotech entrepreneur running on the Quality of Life Party line with support from the Reform Party, has also received limited local coverage.
Spectrum News NY1 covered Estrada’s campaign last month, following a September 18 conference where she joined other opponents of Just Home, a housing project for formerly incarcerated people with medical needs that would be built on the Jacobi Hospital campus in the Bronx. Notably, a plan to build that project was later approved by the City Council the following week, though Mayor Eric Adams indicated that he would ignore the vote.
Estrada, a local clergy member, told participants that years of advocacy against the project convinced her to run for mayor. “For the past three years, we’ve been hounding them, speaking to them,” Estrada said. “I said, ‘If you can’t fix this, I’m going to be on the ballot.’”
In a follow-up interview with NY1, Estrada, who previously ran for city office as a Democrat and is now running on the Conservative Party line with Wilson Pakula authorization, criticized her former party for moving “too far left on public safety.” She also cited her religious background and community involvement, including her role as a spiritual advisor to the Policewomen’s Endowment Association, which she contrasted with Mamdani’s record.
Estrada added that she is also the only woman whose name will appear on the printed ballot in November, saying she expects that to resonate with both women and Latino voters. “Women will vote for women. Latinos will vote for Latinos,” she told NY1. While Ballotpedia identifies additional women running as write-in candidates, Estrada is the only female candidate appearing on the printed ballot.
The Conservative Party has historically cross-endorsed Republican nominees in citywide races but declined to back Sliwa this year, as it did in 2021 when it nominated former NYPD officer Bill Pepitone. In July, Politico reported that Sliwa regarded his relationship with the party as cordial but said he does not consider himself a conservative, citing his positions on marriage equality. NY1 later reported that he also differs from the party on issues related to abortion access and the LGBTQ+ community.
Conservative Party Chair Gerard Kassar said in the same Politico interview that while he similarly had no negative feelings toward Sliwa, the party’s purpose is to “give people options” and urged support for Estrada.
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