Blake Gendebien during an interview with the Times Union in Glens Falls in August. (Alexander MacDougall/Times Union)
Alexander MacDougall/Times Union
ALBANY — Among New York’s 26 congressional districts, the 21st district is something of an outlier. Unlike many districts in the state that are small and urban, the sprawling rural district spans 15 counties and more than 16,000 square miles — roughly three times the size of Connecticut.
Its voters mostly supported former President Barack Obama twice before voting for President Donald J. Trump in the last three presidential elections.
Article continues below this ad
That decidedly recent conservative edge means Democrat Blake Gendebien will need all the help he can get if he wants to defeat Republican Anthony Constantino in the November midterm elections. And it’s unclear whether the assistance Gendebien’s campaign is receiving from state and national Democrats, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, is doing more harm than good.
Constantino’s campaign certainly thinks so. The Republican candidate and Sticker Mule CEO jumped on a recently published article in Politico that claimed Gendebien was pressured to pull an ad saying, if it helped the district, he would “stand up to Kathy Hochul or work with Donald Trump.” In a series of social media posts over the past week, Constantino described Gendebien as a “far-left puppet.”
“It’s a political gift for us,” said Alex deGrasse, a spokesperson for the Constantino campaign. “When I woke up that morning and saw the news, I couldn’t have been happier.”
Gendebien’s campaign maintains that the ad had reached the end of its intended life cycle; they shifted to airing a new ad that juxtaposes footage of Gendebien’s work as a dairy farmer with Constantino swimming and unveiling a large bronze statue of Trump.
Article continues below this ad
“Farmers know high prices hurt families,” the ad states. “But politicians like Anthony Constantino only care about enriching themselves.”
The incident highlights the delicate balancing act Democrats like Gendebien must perform in trying to flip a district where many voters hold more conservative views and continue to support the current president. By contrast, recent indicators suggest Hochul’s popularity in the district, where she lost in all 15 counties in the 2022 election, continues to lag behind other parts of the state.
A Siena Research Institute poll from Aug. 12 shows that upstate voters slightly preferred Hochul’s opponent, Bruce Blakeman, in the upcoming gubernatorial election. A poll done by SurveyUSA earlier this month said that 57% of respondents had an unfavorable opinion of Hochul, compared to 40% favorable (that same poll showed Gendebien holding a slight lead over Constantino, with the latter condemning the results and threatening legal action).
Lynne Boecher, who chairs the Warren County Democratic Committee in the district, defended the governor’s record in upstate.
Article continues below this ad
“Kathy Hochul was born and raised in upstate New York and has always delivered for our families,” Boecher said in a statement. “Whether that’s getting relief from the Trump tariffs hurting our farmers and our businesses, or protecting our healthcare when it’s at risk, Gov. Hochul has fought for what matters most.”
For now, Gendebien continues to receive strong support from the New York State Democratic Party, and Gendebien attended the opening of the party’s coordinated campaign office in Glens Falls, one of three such offices operating in the district.
Lessons from Maine
Should Gendebien prevail in the midterm election, he would join a cohort of moderate Democrats representing districts that voted for Trump in the most recent presidential election. Currently, there are 23 districts across the country that elected Democrats in 2024 while simultaneously voting for Trump.
Article continues below this ad
Those include Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, held by U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, and Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, held by Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. Both have become known for often going against many of the popular stances of their party. In New York, Tom Suozzi won a special election in New York’s 3rd Congressional District in 2024 following the expulsion of George Santos, with the district voting for Trump that same year.
Golden’s district in Maine strongly resembles that of NY-21. It’s geographically large, with a predominantly rural and working class population that voted for Trump in the last three presidential elections. It stands in contrast to Maine’s only other congressional district, which is more cosmopolitan and focused on affluent coastline regions and the city of Portland.
Despite the district’s conservative bent, Golden has managed to persevere in the last four congressional elections. But like NY-21 incumbent U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, he is not seeking reelection. Michael Saxl, a political consultant in Maine who has worked closely with Golden in his election campaigns, offered some advice for Gendebien and New York Democrats if they want to retake the district.
“They should run local and run hard,” Saxl said. “They should completely not be immersed in following any kind of party line doctrine.”
Article continues below this ad
While a much more progressive and socialist flank of Democrats in New York and in other states have found success in primary elections, energized by the recent election and popularity of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Saxl cautioned against following national trends, saying the ideological uniformity does not equate with electoral success.
Newsletter
Sign up for the Capitol A.M. Roundup newsletter
Get a free roundup of New York government and political news, delivered weekdays to your inbox.
“Mamdani is wonderful. He creates all sorts of hope for many people and he’s doing extraordinary things,” Saxl said. “But the 2nd Congressional District (in Maine) and the 21st Congressional District in New York are not New York City. People have different lived experiences and need different things.”
Gendebien so far has distanced himself from Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America, and has stressed his willingness to work with Republicans across the aisle in Congress. That might put him at odds with Democratic leadership in the House, including current Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who likely would become Speaker of the House if Democrats regain a majority.
Article continues below this ad
“He might have a hard time working with Jeffries, and that’s OK,” Saxl said of Gendebien. “Jeffries was sophisticated enough to know that Jared Golden was his best chance of holding the 2nd Congressional District of Maine, and he gave Jared the room he needed to operate. So they need to give (Gendebien) the same kind of grace.”