At the Best Western University Inn in Canton, St. Lawrence County farmer Blake Gendebien’s supporters cheered as he walked up to the podium late Tuesday night.
"Blake! Blake! Blake!" they called out.
The Democrat had hoped to flip the district by billing himself as a moderate with strong ties to the North Country. He ran a relatively tame campaign compared to his Republican opponent, Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino, that harkened back to an old-school approach to politics. He avoided most mudslinging, hosted roundtables on issues like health care and energy, and touted endorsements from multiple unions.
St. Lawrence County Democratic Committee Chair Mike Zagrobelny said Gendebien ran a model campaign.
"This is what you do: you run on decency, you run on facts, you run on experience, and you run on being a real person," Zagrobelny said.
With all districts reporting, unofficial tallies had Constantino ending the night with a two-point lead over Gendebien. While that was enough for Constantino to declare victory shortly after 11 p.m., in his own speech, Gendebien said he was not conceding the race.
Amid frequent pauses for cheers and emotional moments, Gendebien struck a tone that was both optimistic and realistic.
"There are still some votes to be counted, right?" he said.
"Yes!" supporters replied.
"That’s right," Gendebien continued, "and it looks like the voters of the North Country are making their choice and I will respect whatever the result is. That’s how our democracy works and it matters most to honor it on nights when it doesn’t always go the way we expect it."
Despite the likelihood of a narrow loss hanging over the night, there was a sense among Gendebien and his supporters that the work isn’t done and that the closeness of the race shows there’s been a shift in NY-21.
Betsy Liley of St. Albans, Vt., is part of a Vermonters for Blake committee that’s raised money and knocked on doors for Gendebien.
"This was a deeply red district and to be down to a dead heat shows that change is possible," she said. "And I think he’s done—Blake’s done an amazing job here."
Bob Ladouceur of Canton is a longtime teacher who knows Gendebien personally and has long supported his campaign.
"My hope is that, no matter what the results of this will be, that this campaign will have meant something and our work will have meant something and the message that got out there that we matter in the North Country means something."
Gendebien urged people who came to politics by way of his campaign to keep at it and not walk away.
"Run for your school board. Go to your town meetings. Keep showing up," he said. "The issues that brought you here—the cost of living, our hospitals, our place in this region—are still waiting to be solved and they need you. The North Country is my home. It made me who I am and I’m not going anywhere and neither is this fight."
Gendebien said in a statement after his speech that he would not concede the race before every vote was counted, but added that "it appears Anthony Constantino will narrowly win.” He wished him well in Congress.
