The last person to run as a conservative and win a statwide election in NY was al D'Amato in 1992. Dennis Vacco did it in 1994 but on some strong national coat tails. Vacco was run out of town 4 years later, though.
A strong conservative alienates most NYers. That's just the truth.
A strong Conservative scares the RINO establishment more than it does the average NY or NJ voter.