How a Trump endorsement shook up this upstate NY House primary race – The Journal News | lohud.com

A large swath of upstate New York will vote to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik later this year as she announced in December she wouldn’t be running for her 7th term.
A typically red part of the state, the 21st Congressional District consists of Clinton, Franklin, St. Lawrence, Lewis, Hamilton, Essex, Warren, Washington, Fulton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Schoharie, and parts of Jefferson, Oneida, and Saratoga counties and borders Canada and Vermont on two sides.
The key House seat has attracted two Republican candidates — one a current state Assemblymember and another endorsed by President Donald Trump — as well as two Democratic candidates. They will go head-to-head in the June 23 primary to find out who will be representing their respective parties in November.
Here’s what to know about the candidates.
Stefanik, a Republican and staunch Trump ally, is an 11-year House member from Saratoga County.
An Albany native, Stefanik temporarily ran for New York governor in 2025 before dropping out of the race and announcing she wouldn’t seek re-election just over a month later, asserting it was so she could spend more time with her family. At the time, early polling showed she had the lead over Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who announced he would be running 10 days before Stefanik announced her exit.
First elected in 2014, Stefanik was initially seen as a GOP moderate but emerged as a fierce Trump defender during his first impeachment hearings in 2019. In 2021, she was chosen to replace Liz Cheney as conference chairwoman, the House GOP’s fourth-ranking leader, and was most recently being considered for the United Nations ambassador spot by Trump.
Her consideration for that position unraveled, though, as Republicans wanted to keep her in Congress to preserve their narrow control of it.
Anthony Constantino, who was born and raised in Edinburg, New York, is one of two Republicans running to replace Stefanik. His company Sticker Mule, which sells customized stickers, labels and packaging, is based in Amsterdam, New York, and the majority of its workers are based in upstate New York.
His company’s success, he says, has allowed him to self-fund his campaign and has taught him the “importance of putting money into people’s pockets,” creating jobs and uplifting the community.
“I’ve watched businesses close and leave my entire life…and I started my company to fight back against that,” Constantino said in an interview with USA TODAY Network.
“When people say you can’t do something, I like to prove them wrong,” he added. “Everybody said the jobs were going away, American manufacturing was going overseas, and I took up the challenge of proving that to not be true.”
“I’ve been proud to do it,” Constantino continued, “and I can create a lot of jobs for my company, but I can create a lot more in Congress.”
He was endorsed by Trump earlier this year, more than a year after he erected a large “Vote for Trump” sign in Amsterdam, New York, which can be seen from the nearby New York State Thruway. The city’s mayor attempted to have it taken down, asserting it was too distracting for drivers, but Constantino was ultimately allowed to keep the sign up.
Constantino said he’s working on acquiring the land around the sign to build a park to “further strengthen that historical significance of the sign and bring more tourism to the area.”
“The most important thing about the Trump endorsement is that I go into Congress a friend of the president, which means I can get things done for the voters,” Constantino said.
He also shared that he bought a membership to the Trump-owned Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida back in 2020 to “show support for him” and says it will enable him to meet with the president “anytime” to “get things done for the constituents.”
Constantino has been involved in some recent controversy as he’s publicly feuded with reporters and has been involved in a legal battle with the state Conservative Party’s Chair Gerard Kassar over comments made by Kassar. Constantino also became a professional boxer in 2022, but has put his fighting career on hold while he runs for the Congressional seat.
He says he’s “going into Congress with the best of intentions.”
“I want to use my time to do the most good,” Constantino said. “I built an incredible company…and running for Congress is a much bigger way to make the world a better place.”
“I’ll be nobody’s man but the voters in Congress,” he added.
A retired Marine Corps Colonel who completed three tours in Afghanistan over his 24 years of service, Robert Smullen has represented the 118th Assembly District since 2019. While serving as an Assemblymember, he’s been chairman of the Republican Conference, chair of the Assembly Republican Review Committee and is co-chair of the Assembly Sports Caucus.
“As a legislator, I have learned all of the people of the district, and I would take that same attitude to take our voice and our values to Washington, D.C. on behalf of the people of the New York 21st Congressional District,” Smullen told USA TODAY Network.
On the federal level, Smullen served as a White House Fellow under former President George W. Bush and served at the U.S. Department of Energy on critical energy policy. Lowering energy costs through bringing fracking and pipelines to New York is one of Smullen’s main goals, if elected. He’s also aiming to close the Northern border and make sure New Yorkers’ constitutional freedoms, such as gun rights, are upheld.
Smullen was recently endorsed by the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America as well as the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association.
And while he says he supports Trump, he was not, however, endorsed by the president. Trump previously appointed Smullen to the President’s Commission on White House Fellows during his first term in 2018.
“I was disappointed, but I was not surprised,” Smullen says about not being endorsed. “And it doesn’t really matter because what’s happening here is that the New York State GOP, 12 of the 15 counties that are in this district, the real people that are really on the ground…voted to endorse me overwhelmingly.”
The remaining three counties did not conduct a vote, Smullen added.
What to know: State Assemblyman Robert Smullen announces congressional bid
Smullen was also born and raised in upstate New York and currently lives in Fulton County with his wife and children.
“I live a mile from where I grew up and I’ve been serving the people of the upstate area,” Smullen said. “I have spent my lifetime fighting for the people of this district and I will continue to do so…If you want something done, send a Marine to Washington, D.C.”
Local business owner Stuart Amoriell and second-generation dairy farmer Blake Gendebien are running on the Democratic ticket.
Amoriell, who lives in Lake Placid with his wife and two young children, is the owner and operator of The Pickled Pig Restaurant in Lake Placid. He’s focused on delivering “an intelligent and compassionate immigration policy, expanding affordable housing, strengthening local economies, improving health care access and supporting education and workforce development,” according to his campaign website.
And Gendebien, who was born and raised on a farm in the North Country, is aiming to bridge the North Country with Washington D.C., his campaign website states. He has served as vice chair of the Cooperative Board of Agri-Mark, founded a non-profit supporting kids with pediatric cancer and their families and has been present in the Lisbon Central School District through being a member of their school board and a JV basketball coach.
What to know: Donald Trump endorses Anthony Constantino for NY 21 Congressional seat
The Democratic candidates are eyeing an upset because of the effects Trump’s tariffs have had on those living in the area as well as rising fuel costs, media outlets have reported.
The last time a Democrat won the 21st Congressional District was when something similar happened during a special election to replace former GOP Rep. John McHugh in 2009, Politico reported. The Conservative Party endorsed Doug Hoffman over Republican Assemblymember Dede Scozzafara, leading to the election of Democratic Rep. Bill Owens, who held the seat until his retirement in 2014.
Contributing: New York State Team reporter Chris McKenna
Emily Barnes covers state government for the USA TODAY Network-New York with a focus on how policy and laws impact New Yorkers’ taxes, communities and jobs. Follow her on Instagram or X @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@usatodayco.com.

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