President Donald Trump endorsed Republican congressional candidate Anthony Constantino in a video posted Thursday, adding his support to a closely watched race for New York’s 21st Congressional District.
Trump’s 2-minute, 7-second video was filmed in the Oval Office and posted on Facebook late Thursday morning. Constantino is running against Democrat Blake Gendebien for the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik.
“A very special hello to upstate New York, a place that I won by a lot. I love the people in upstate New York and they like me, I guess. But I’m asking you to get out and vote for a very good friend of mine, Anthony Constantino, to be your next Congressman for New York’s 21st district. He has my complete and total confidence.” — President Donald Trump
Trump also referred to Constantino’s business record as the owner of Sticker Mule, an Amsterdam-based company. He listed issues Constantino would pursue if elected, without describing specific policies connected to those goals, and criticized New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Gendebien.
A competitive race in a Republican-leaning district
The race has drawn attention because the district has historically favored Republicans. Stefanik carried it by 24 percentage points in 2024, while Trump won the district by 21 percentage points that year. Stefanik was reelected five times, and this is the first election since 2014 in which she has not appeared on the ballot.
Recent polling has shown a narrower contest. A Siena poll released Oct. 9 put Gendebien ahead of Constantino, 45% to 42%. A Public Policy Polling poll released Oct. 13 showed Constantino leading, 46% to 44%.
- Constantino is the Republican nominee for the district.
- Gendebien, a dairy farmer, is the Democratic nominee.
- The district includes communities across much of northern and central New York.
Constantino also spoke at a Trump rally in Syracuse on Oct. 9. Vice President J.D. Vance is scheduled to campaign with Constantino at a rally in Rome on Monday, according to Constantino’s campaign spokesperson.
The general election is set for Nov. 3. The district includes Oneida and Herkimer counties as well as communities across the Adirondack region, the North Country and parts of the Capital Region.
