Earlier this month, about 30 people gathered in the lobby of Republican Anthony Constantino’s Plattsburgh campaign headquarters. Dozens of "Constantino for Congress" signs leaned up against the walls and a table of merchandise offered free shirts, hats, and stickers.
The Sticker Mule CEO, who's running to represent New York's 21st Congressional District, arrived and went around shaking people's hands. Someone pulled out a "Fire Hochul" sign.
"Which is more important? Elect Anthony Constantino or Fire Kathy Hochul?" Constantino joked.
"You come first, and then you can fire Kathy," someone replied.
'Nobody's man but yours'
That kind of casual back and forth happens a lot with Constantino. He doesn’t give your typical stump speech, and he isn’t your typical politician.
He’s boxed professionally in Mexico, put out a rap album titled "Thank you President Trump," and pulled stunts like debating an inflatable chicken posing as his Democratic opponent, Blake Gendebien.
His endorsement list includes some expected names, like GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson and the National Rifle Association, but also former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson.
Something else that’s unusual about Constantino’s campaign is that he’s completely self-funded. According to the Federal Elections Commission, he’s put $17 million toward his congressional run. According to one of his ads, that means he’s not beholden to anyone.
"No special interest money," a voice reads over footage of a Constantino rally. "No strings attached. Anthony Constantino is nobody’s man but yours."
A Trumpian candidate
Constantino has cultivated this identity as a political outsider who appeals directly to the people from the get-go. In the highly anticipated special election to replace Elise Stefanik last year, he threatened a potential independent run if party leaders didn’t give him the Republican nomination. During his primary campaign, the GOP establishment overwhelmingly backed his opponent.
Lifelong Republican Sheri Cornick of Jay said she liked what she saw from Constantino early on.
"He said he wasn’t going to take a salary like Trump," she said. "He was going to do all these things and I’m like, ‘I like him.’"
She said her husband, David, got on board, too. Their vote for Constantino was solidified when someone else weighed in on the primary race.
"When Trump endorsed, we were like, 'We did it right,'" Sheri said.
Trump’s endorsement of Constantino followed a string of public displays of loyalty and admiration for the president: a massive “Vote for Trump” sign on top of one of Constantino's buildings in Amsterdam, and a bronze Trump statue gifted to the president for display at his golf course in Florida.
Constantino has also run his campaign in a Trumpian fashion. He’s unfiltered and unscripted, talks less about policy and issues, and picks fights with his political opponents and reporters, often on social media.
Constantino said he doesn’t copy Trump’s style. He said that’s just the way he is, and any similarities come from similar life experiences the two share.
"We both did similar things in life," he said. "We both built large companies. We had to learn skill sets that allowed us to do it. Elon Musk did the same thing."
Lawsuits and controversy
Also like Trump, Constantino has sparked controversy and been a divisive figure in his own party. It’s sometimes gotten him into legal trouble.
The St. Lawrence County sheriff removed Constantino from a GOP meeting back in February for interrupting people. He faces two ongoing defamation lawsuits: one for saying state Conservative Party Chair Jerry Kassar threatened to kill him, the other for allegedly smearing Philip Perry, the fiancé of Clinton County GOP Chair Jerika Manning.
Constantino claimed on social media that Perry is violent and controls Manning’s actions as chair. Constantino accused him of a DWI charge that was actually for a different Phillip Perry (note the different spelling). According to the lawsuit, Constantino made these comments in retaliation for Manning’s refusal to endorse him.
On whether she sees a path forward with Constantino, Manning said that in politics, there’s always disagreement, even among people in the same party.
"There’s a really wide spectrum of being a Republican or a Conservative and I think ... as a Catholic, I believe in forgiveness, right?" she said. "But there has to be some type of effort put forward. I would also add to that that going after someone’s family really puts a damper on that."
Constantino said voters don’t care about these lawsuits and these party chairs have nothing to do with what he does in Congress.
"Their job is to help elect people," he said. "I want them to elect good people. That’s all I want."
Constantino has also been accused of making racially-charged comments. He called New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani a “wannabe terrorist." Mamdani is an American citizen and is Muslim. There’s no evidence he has ties to terrorism.
When asked about that comment, Constantino compared Mamdani to Osama bin Laden.
"Osama bin Laden's desire was to destroy our aspirational city with a terrorist attack," he said. "Mamdani is working to destroy New York City's status as an aspirational city."
And, of course, Constantino has gone after his Democratic opponent, Blake Gendebien. Constantino has hammered the St. Lawrence County farmer for not debating him. He also paid private investigators who took drone shots of a dump site allegedly on Gendebien’s farm that Constantino claimed is polluting a creek. The DEC visited, found no violations, and confirmed there’s no open investigation.
These attacks on Mamdani and Gendebien fit in with a major theme of Constantino’s candidacy: Democrats are destroying New York, they caused the state’s outmigration crisis, and voters should reject them.
He told the small crowd at his Plattsburgh campaign headquarters that there’s just one solution.
"We've really gotta elect as many Republicans as we can possibly elect and I think we've gotta call people outside the district, too," Constantino said. "We’ve also got the internet now, phones and all that. We’ve gotta start calling people all over New York state and say, 'Enough’s enough. There’s no option anymore in New York state other than to vote Republican.'"
"Exactly," a supporter replied.
Can Constantino keep an increasingly competitive district red?
On paper, Constantino has a huge advantage in NY-21: just one Democrat has represented this area since the Civil War, Stefanik handily won re-election five times by double-digits, and registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 80,000.
But polls and election forecasters indicate the race has become closer to a toss-up. The most recent Siena poll had Gendebien leading Constantino by four points. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report called Constantino a "uniquely polarizing figure” and has shifted its rating of the race twice, from "solid" to "likely" and now "lean Republican."
One voter Constantino won’t have to worry about is James VanEtten of Altona. The semi-retired farmer and construction worker said it’s important to elect someone to carry on Stefanik’s work and ensure President Trump is successful.
"I think having allies like Anthony in the state, in the political system, is really important," he said.
If elected, Constantino may end up in the minority in a Democratically-controlled Congress. He said he’s willing to work across the aisle to get things done for the North Country.
"When I talk to my Democrat colleagues in Congress, I can say to them, 'You know, I want to help all people. If you guys want to help all people, too, let's work together.'"
While Stefanik congratulated Constantino on primary night, she has stayed largely silent on the race since then and hasn’t campaigned with him.
There are reports that a different high-profile Republican, Vice President JD Vance, plans to visit the North Country to stump with Constantino before Election Day. It’s a potential sign that Republicans are worried about keeping the seat in GOP hands.
