The race for New York’s 21st Congressional District stretched into Wednesday as an already tense and unusual campaign spent at least one more day in the spotlight, while the close race has yet to be officially called by the Associated Press.
While Republican and StickerMule CEO Anthony Constantino took a narrow lead Tuesday night, Democrat Blake Gendebien told supporters he would not concede until all votes were counted. Constantino declared victory around 11 p.m. after Gendebien’s sizable lead began to evaporate as more rural precincts began reporting.
Regardless, the result stood out both in the context of a traditional understanding of New York’s political makeup and in the context of the crushing rebuke of President Donald Trump that has taken place elsewhere in the country.
What was clear Wednesday is that Constantino’s final margin of victory will be slim, but especially slim when compared to incumbent Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s 24-point margin of victory in 2024, and Trump’s 20-point victory the same year. Stefanik has had no trouble holding on to her district since she was elected in 2014, even during otherwise difficult years for Republicans.
Democrats managed to win the district in 2009, but thanks to a special election marked by infighting on the right.
Despite this narrow margin of victory, Constantino, who self-funded his campaign, managed to fend off the resounding defeat that other Republicans faced in solidly red districts where eyes were on potentially shocking reversals — results in states like Texas and South Carolina that effectively shocked the nation.
In an election that was widely seen as a complete rebuke of the Trump presidency, Constantino embraced Trump and Trump returned the favor. From Wednesday evening, it paid off.
“First of all, thank you to President Trump for supporting me,” he said during his speech. “For fighting for our country, for supporting me, for inspiring me. I have to thank President Donald Trump for supporting me in the primary and for giving me further support in the general election.”
Despite national headwinds and the divisive nature of the campaign, Constantino spent the immediate moments of his presumed victory attacking individuals he believed stood in the way of the most decisive victory that could be expected from the district, in addition to thanking his family members and supporters.
He attacked New York State Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman and other party members on social media. He spent much of his acceptance speech Tuesday night lambasting invited media outlets for coverage he deemed unfair, moving to call out individual journalists.
Constantino won the primary with Trump’s support despite a lack of support from state party leaders who backed Rep. Robert Smullen.
Speaking to supporters Wednesday, Gendebien refused to officially concede until all votes were counted and, in a written statement shortly afterward, acknowledged that Constantino would likely head to Congress, wishing him well and imploring him to prioritize the needs of the North Country. Whatever the official result, it highlighted the feat of being so close in the first place while crediting Constantino with a hard-fought race.
“Anthony, you’ve had a great run; we’ll continue to see what the run shows. It’s not easy being an entrepreneur and a candidate and I respect anyone who wants to throw their hat in the ring,” he said.
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