New York state Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay endorsed his comrade, Assemblyman Robert Smullen, in the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik next year in New York’s 21st Congressional District, the Republican lawmaker said Tuesday.
“Colonel Robert Smullen spent his career on the frontlines, fighting for our country in the U.S. Marines and fighting for his constituents as a member of the State Assembly. I’m proud to endorse him for New York’s 21st Congressional District,” Barclay said in a statement. “His record of service is second to none. As a decorated Marine Corps Colonel, he retired after 24 years and served three combat tours in Afghanistan. As an Assemblyman, he has always put Upstate First, tackling issues like rural healthcare, taxes and affordability, energy independence, and economic growth. Robert Smullen has been a tremendous member as our Chairman of the Assembly Republican Conference. I know he’ll continue to deliver real results in Congress.”
Smullen is a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel who served 24 years and has represented parts of Herkimer, Fulton, Montgomery, Oneida and Otsego counties in the state Assembly since 2019. He was also appointed by President Donald Trump to be a member of the President’s Commission on White House Fellows from 2018 to 2021.
Also running for the Republican nomination for the congressional seat is Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino, while others are still considering a run. Potential challengers include Democrats Blake Gendebien and Dylan Hewitt, who have been campaigning for the seat for months.
The 21st Congressional District is made up of most of the North Country and parts of the greater Capital Region and Mohawk Valley. It is being vacated by Stefanik, who was initially running for governor, but dropped that bid two weeks ago and will not seek reelection to her House seat.