ROME, NEW YORK — Vice President JD Vance urged local Republicans to turn out at the polls Monday as he rallied support for keeping a reliably red upstate House district in GOP hands.
Vance arrived at the former Griffiss Air Force Base to campaign for Republican businessman Anthony Constantino, who is seeking to succeed retiring Rep. Elise Stefanik in New York’s 21st Congressional District. The North Country seat has unexpectedly become a Democratic target amid controversy surrounding the Republican nominee.
“I see a place that is not all that different from the place that I grew up,” Vance said, comparing manufacturing centers such as Massena and Rome with his hometown of Middletown, Ohio.
“The story of places like Rome or Middletown, ladies and gentlemen, is not just a story about what America has lost. It is also a story about what America still has the power to build,” Vance said, describing President Trump’s administration as an “America First revolution.”
He touted Trump’s “sovereignty” agenda, including efforts to curb illegal immigration and cross-border drug trafficking, as well as the administration’s aggressive trade policies. Those issues are particularly relevant in a district that shares a lengthy border with Canada.
“We have done so much, and we can do so much more to rebuild the good lives of working people in the 21st Congressional District,” Vance said.
He also praised Constantino for financing his own campaign and for building his sticker-manufacturing company, Sticker Mule, in New York despite the state’s challenging business climate.
“You have somebody running for Congress who has actually lived putting American workers first for a change,” Vance said. “He has fought for American workers. Let’s fight for Anthony tomorrow at the ballot box.”
Vance also urged Republicans to “ditch the witch,” a reference to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, though he did not mention Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman by name.
The vice president’s last-minute appearance came as Democrats see an opportunity in the traditionally deep-red district. Stefanik won the seat by 24 percentage points in 2024, while Trump carried it by 21 points that same year.
However, the race has suddenly been viewed as competitive because of a national political climate favorable to Democrats and Constantino’s clashes with local conservative leaders during a bruising primary.
A surprising Siena College poll released early last month showed Constantino trailing his opponent, Blake Gendebien, an Amsterdam-based executive and Democratic candidate.
Constantino’s campaign called the poll a “scam,” arguing that it asked respondents about a write-in candidate. The survey nevertheless showed Gendebien with a four-point lead. Democrats also spent $1.4 million on advertising in NY-21 on Friday.
Constantino told district residents they needed to vote as a way of repaying Vance for coming to the rally.
“And if you do that, I’m going to pay all of you back by going to Congress, creating jobs, securing the border, fighting to cut taxes, restoring our Second Amendment rights in New York state, supporting law enforcement and making sure workers are respected,” Constantino said.
Constantino spent several minutes attacking coverage of his campaign, urging the crowd to confront reporters in the press area. He called the journalists “evil” for suggesting that he held less than a 90% lead over Gendebien.
“We’re not running against Blake; we’re running against these people,” he said, referring to the reporters.
Donald Trump Jr. and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright also attended the event. Stefanik, who has represented the district since 2015, was not present.
Constantino secured the nomination after a bitter primary contest against state Assemblyman Robert Smullen.
The retired Marine colonel won the support of 12 of the district’s 15 Republican county committees, along with state Republican Committee Chairman Ed Cox. Constantino also received the coveted endorsement of Trump.
Constantino has invested $7 million of his personal fortune in the general election campaign.
Gendebien said the rally demonstrated that Republicans were concerned after winning the district by 24 points in 2024. The Conservative Party line, which typically aligns with the Republican candidate in House races, was left blank because of its dispute with Constantino.
“Now they’re flying in Vice President Vance and President Trump’s son the morning before Election Day to bail out a candidate who spent the whole campaign chasing stunts instead of answering for six-dollar diesel and the Medicaid cuts closing our hospitals,” the Democrat said in a statement.
