Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino, a Republican, declared victory in New York's 21st Congressional District shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday. Forty-five minutes later, his Democratic opponent, St. Lawrence County farmer Blake Gendebien, announced he isn't conceding the race.
As of 12:30 a.m., Constantino leads Gendebien by about 6,000 votes, a difference of 2.17%, according to unofficial results.
In a rambling victory speech that lasted more than half an hour, Constantino thanked his supporters, decried the "evil media," and said he's already thinking about getting "big wins" for the district.
Gendebien said in a statement that while he will not concede the race until all the votes have been counted, he acknowledged that Constantino has likely" won the race.
"This isn’t the outcome we worked for, but I could not be more proud of the campaign we ran and the coalition we built,” Gendebien said. “I wish Anthony Constantino well in Congress, and I hope he’ll always put the North Country first."
This story will be updated.
