Michael Gormley reports at Newsday that after 30 years Mike Long is retiring as New York's Conservative Party Chairman. “I will step aside,” the 79-year-old told Newsday. “I wasn’t looking to break a record, but I think I did.” Long has sparred with two different Democratic governors named Cuomo, and helped get Republican George Pataki elected governor. No Republican, the story claims, has won statewide elected office in New York without the Conservative Party’s endorsement. "A true Marine, Mike Long's determination, grit and integrity served as a guiding light for a generation of conservative, and indeed many other, New Yorkers," said state Republican Chairman Ed Cox. "In all matters, his word was his bond." Read the full story at Newsday.