National Democratic committee adds NY-21 race to midterm target list

National Democrats are targeting the NY-21 Congressional race between Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino and Democratic dairy farmer Blake Gendebien in their effort to flip the House of Representatives this November.

The seat, held for the past dozen years by Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, has been added to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee [DCCC]’s list of Districts in Play this fall.

Democrats need to flip three seats this fall to capture the House. In the 2018 midterm elections during President Donald Trump’s first term, Republicans lost 41 seats and control of the House.

The DCCC is targeting 46 Congressional races nationwide this election cycle, including three in New York. The NY-21 race was added to the target list on Wednesday.

In a statement announcing the addition of the NY-21 race to its list of targets, DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene cited a March 25 FCC complaint against Constantino by Fulton County Republican Committee member John Livingston alleging that Constantino was using funds from his NY-21 campaign to pay for ads for his company Sticker Mule.

Constantino denied the charges, saying that Google had misidentified Sticker Mule ads as campaign advertisements. The labeling on the Sticker Mule ads were then amended on Google’s Ad Transparency Center, with the ads now labeled as paid for by Sticker Mule LLC.

“Anthony Constantino is a self-dealer who cares more about lining his own pockets than fighting for hardworking families,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene declared in a statement. “When Constantino isn’t using his campaign to bankroll advertisements for his own business, he’s pledging total loyalty to the GOP plan of reckless tariffs that jack up costs on North Country families and health care cuts that put rural hospitals at risk. The DCCC will spend the coming months making sure that come November, New York’s 21st Congressional District elects a representative that finally puts them first.”

Constantino labeled the Democratic target list as a ploy to extract money from party donors and cited internal polling data.

“This is a scam to suck money out of donors,” Constantino wrote in a text on Wednesday. “My opponent’s entire campaign is about sucking up money from the far left to share with his consultants. Smart money has me at 86% chance of victory which is about as high as you can get."

Gendebien’s campaign has cited an internal poll that shows that Constantino leads the race by a slim 45%-44% margin. In 2024, Stefanik defeated Democrat Paula Collins by a 62%-38% margin to claim her sixth term in Congress.

“We've spent this campaign talking with farmers, veterans, small business owners, and working families about the cost of groceries, the cost of health care, and that Washington isn’t actually looking out for them,” Gendebien said in a statement. “My opponent has spent his time throwing mud instead of putting forward a single plan of his own.”

While Constantino has funneled $12 million of his own money into the Congressional race so far, the fundraising race is still close overall. While Constantino’s campaign had $3.03 million in cash on hand as of June 30, Gendebien is close behind, with $2.62 million in the bank.

"Blake Gendebien is running for Congress to peddle Democrats' radical agenda that raises taxes, makes communities less safe, and hurts North Country farmers," National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Maureen O'Toole said in a statement. "That's not a winning agenda, and he'll be sorely rejected in November."

The vast district stretches from Saratoga County out to St. Lawrence County and beyond, and includes Fulton, Montgomery, Clinton, Franklin, Lewis, Hamilton, Essex, Warren and Washington counties and more.

Republicans have a decided advantage among registered voters in the 21st Congressional district, with 215,012 Republicans and 133,688 Democrats enrolled in the district as of February 2026. There are also 135,222 unaffiliated voters in the district.

In addition to the NY-21 race, the Democratic committee is targeting the New York races this fall between Rep. Nick LaLota and Democratic challenger Christopher Gallant in NY-01 in Suffolk County and Republican Rep. Mike Lawler and Democratic opponent Cait Conley in NY-17 in Rockland and Putnam counties.