{"id":261,"date":"2026-06-18T22:13:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T22:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261"},"modified":"2026-06-18T22:13:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T22:13:14","slug":"the-bitter-ny-21-primary-highlights-a-fractured-gop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261","title":{"rendered":"The bitter NY-21 primary highlights a fractured GOP"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

When you drive through parts of Northern New York, you\u2019d never know the 21st Congressional District is days away from the end of a bitter Republican primary. There\u2019s hardly any campaign signs for either Assembly Member Robert Smullen and Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino as they vie to be the party nominee to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik in Congress. And that\u2019s intentional.<\/p>\n

Read more Opinion: Juneteenth and the meaning of freedom<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people are afraid to put signs out just yet until the primary,\u201d Fulton County Republican Committee Treasurer Gail Peters told City & State. \u201cPeople are kind of intimidated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peters was one of a few dozen people who attended a rally in Johnston on Thursday where\u00a0 GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio flew in to stump for Constantino at Epimed, a medical device manufacturing company.<\/p>\n

The nasty primary battle isn\u2019t about a difference of ideology, but rather, a fight for power, and shows forces the party to a crossroads to choose between loyalty to Trump or to established party leaders.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump has endorsed Constantino to succeed Stefanik, while Smullen has the backing of the state Republican Party and many local county committees. Jordan, who chairs the powerful House Judiciary Committee, is a strong Trump ally and first member of Congress to make a public endorsement in the race.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Anthony will be like your current member of Congress \u2013 I think he’ll be like Elise,\u201d Jordan told reporters. \u201cI\u2019ve been close with Elise, and I just feel like Anthony’s in that same mold. She’s a fighter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jordan also defended Constantino, who was a registered Democrat until 2024 while he lived in the deep-blue city of Albany.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRonald Reagan was a Democrat before he became a great Republican,\u201d Jordan said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Constantino, who\u2019s also been endorsed by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, isn\u2019t concerned that most local Republican leaders are backing Smullen instead. Smullen, a retired U.S. Marine colonel who served 24 years, has deep roots and friends in the North Country, having represented parts of Herkimer, Fulton, Montgomery, Oneida and Otsego counties in the state Assembly since 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople generally that have been running an organization for a long time don’t like outsiders, particularly ones that are going to come in and fix things,\u201d Constantino told reporters. \u201cThe New York Republican establishment is having a lot of problems, and I want to come in and fix things, and I\u2019ve dealt with that in business. People are resistant to turnarounds until you make it happen, then they like you. So, I think everyone\u2019s going to end up liking me, but right now, there\u2019s a little resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n

That resistance has struck fear in the hearts of many NY-21 voters. Several rallygoers said North Country voters are on pins and needles about publicly discussing who they support, and declined to be interviewed \u2013 adding local leaders fear Smullen\u2019s influence, which they share.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Smullen, who did three combat tours in Afghanistan after 9\/11, has blasted Constantino in attack ads for previously being \u201ca lifelong Democrat\u201d and has highlighted news reports that Constantino’s campaign hires people accused or convicted of serious crimes. He\u2019s also said the Sticker Mule CEO has profited from printing and selling anti-Trump, anti-police and pro-transgender stickers or other merchandise. And, most recently, Smullen has fiercely attacked Constantino and his allies for accusing Smullen of using his late 14-year-old son, AJ, who died in a 2024 accident, as a political prop. \u201cLet that sink in \u2013 they use the death of my child as a weapon,\u201d Smullen told reporters in Gloversville on Monday. \u201cI stood before the people of this district, and I called that despicable, because that’s what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more This week\u2019s biggest Winners & Losers<\/a><\/p>\n

Both candidates frequently accuse the other of being a liar. Constantino\u2019s attorney Alejandro Brito sent Smullen a demand letter on Monday as a final warning before a potential defamation lawsuit. The letter alleges Smullen has repeatedly made false and defamatory statements that have damaged Constantino\u2019s reputation. Smullen received two similar earlier warnings on March 25 and May 14, according to the letter.<\/p>\n

Several members of the Fulton County Republican Committee attended Thursday\u2019s rally to support Constantino. But it\u2019s no surprise committee members are at odds with Smullen. Some of his relatives and political allies sued Fulton County GOP Chair Susan McNeil and the county executive board to challenge the election of the committee\u2019s officers, and alleged candidates failed to properly file campaign finance disclosures. Peters said Stefanik\u2019s campaign gave the county committee $26,000 to cover legal fees, and the case was ultimately dropped.<\/p>\n

\u201cI already voted for Anthony Constantino because he didn\u2019t sue me,\u201d Peters said. \u201cI imagine people are intimidated by (Smullen) because of his position right now. If he gets any more power, then he\u2019s going to wreak havoc on anybody that went against him.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time of the suit, Stefanik railed against the intraparty fighting. She has not endorsed a candidate in the race. Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, has refused to take a side in the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat seat is incredibly important to keep, so I\u2019ve stayed out of it,\u201d Blakeman told reporters in Albany on May 28. \u201cYou have President Trump making an endorsement to one candidate and then you have our state chairman making an endorsement to another candidate, so, I think you\u2019ve got to let it play out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Supporters of Smullen and Constantino clashed openly on Tuesday at an Upstate Conservative Coalition forum in Saratoga Springs that featured both candidates. Constantino\u2019s supporters shouted and cursed at Smullen, and Constantino said it was later revealed to him that organizers gave Smullen the questions ahead of time to give him an edge. Smullen\u2019s campaign said that\u2019s a lie.<\/p>\n

\u201cVoters in this district deserve honest answers, and I will always give them honest answers,\u201d Smullen said in a statement. \u201cWhat happened this week was not a policy disagreement. It was an organized attempt to prevent voters from hearing the truth. That tells you everything you need to know about where Anthony Constantino\u2019s campaign stands days before the primary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smullen was arrested in 2018 and was accused of double-dipping on a property tax exemption \u2013 which Constantino frequently frames as\u201cfirst-degree felony tax fraud.\u201dThe charge was ultimately reduced to a minor civil violation (comparable to a parking ticket). And in televised ads, Constantino has attacked Smullen for never endorsing or actively campaigning for Trump, and claims that the Assembly member operates a taxpayer-funded solar farm with ties to communist China. Smullen said that accusation is false and defamatory.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake no mistake, these are carefully curated attacks meant to deceive voters into supporting my opponent,\u201d Smullen said. \u201cYet, the lies continue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Thursday\u2019s rally with Jordan, Constantino\u2019s campaign put up several \u201cConstantino for Congress\u201d signs on the road leading to Epimed. By the time the rally concluded, two signs promoting dairy farmer Blake Gendebein, a Democrat running in NY-21, had appeared alongside them. Gendebein\u2019s favored in the Democratic primary next week against Stuart Amoriell. But whoever wins the nomination, Democrats are hopeful that the infighting among Republicans means there\u2019s a rare opening to win the North Country. In February, Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a Young Democrats Women\u2019s Caucus speech that she has confidence that Democrats can flip the heavily red district seat, where registered Republicans roughly outnumber Democrats 3 to 1.<\/p>\n

Read more Who is running for New York comptroller?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Republican voters in the North Country must decide between backing establishment Assembly Member Robert Smullen and President Donald Trump\u2019s pick, Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3],"tags":[9,7],"class_list":["post-261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-congressional-midterm-elections","category-new-york-state","tag-2026-congressional-midterm-elections","tag-new-york-state"],"yoast_head":"\nThe bitter NY-21 primary highlights a fractured GOP - Business Relocation Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The bitter NY-21 primary highlights a fractured GOP - Business Relocation Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Republican voters in the North Country must decide between backing establishment Assembly Member Robert Smullen and President Donald Trump\u2019s pick, Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Business Relocation Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-18T22:13:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=261#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=261\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0\"},\"headline\":\"The bitter NY-21 primary highlights a fractured GOP\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-18T22:13:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=261\"},\"wordCount\":1275,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=261#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/3f22233f66bd266904a37f4b372f7524.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"2026 congressional midterm elections\",\"New York State\"],\"articleSection\":[\"2026 congressional midterm elections\",\"New York State\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=261#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=261\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=261\",\"name\":\"The bitter NY-21 primary highlights a fractured GOP - Business Relocation Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=261#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=261#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/3f22233f66bd266904a37f4b372f7524.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-18T22:13:14+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=261#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=261\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=261#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/3f22233f66bd266904a37f4b372f7524.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/3f22233f66bd266904a37f4b372f7524.jpg\",\"width\":400,\"height\":400},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=261#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The bitter NY-21 primary highlights a fractured GOP\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Business Relocation Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The bitter NY-21 primary highlights a fractured GOP - Business Relocation Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The bitter NY-21 primary highlights a fractured GOP - Business Relocation Digest","og_description":"Republican voters in the North Country must decide between backing establishment Assembly Member Robert Smullen and President Donald Trump\u2019s pick, Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino.","og_url":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261","og_site_name":"Business Relocation Digest","article_published_time":"2026-06-18T22:13:14+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0"},"headline":"The bitter NY-21 primary highlights a fractured GOP","datePublished":"2026-06-18T22:13:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261"},"wordCount":1275,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3f22233f66bd266904a37f4b372f7524.jpg","keywords":["2026 congressional midterm elections","New York State"],"articleSection":["2026 congressional midterm elections","New York State"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261","url":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261","name":"The bitter NY-21 primary highlights a fractured GOP - Business Relocation Digest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3f22233f66bd266904a37f4b372f7524.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-18T22:13:14+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3f22233f66bd266904a37f4b372f7524.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3f22233f66bd266904a37f4b372f7524.jpg","width":400,"height":400},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=261#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The bitter NY-21 primary highlights a fractured GOP"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/","name":"Business Relocation Digest","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com"],"url":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}