PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (WCAX) – With just over a month until Election Day, congressional candidates looking to replace Elise Stefanik in New York\u2019s 21st District are making their final pitches to voters on key issues facing the North Country.<\/p>\n
For the first time in more than a decade, New York\u2019s 21st District is up for grabs. It is a heated race between Democrat Blake Gendebien, a dairy farmer, and Republican Anthony Constantino, a business owner.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am a proud Democrat; I am a conservative Democrat; I am a free-market capitalist, and I think we need to focus on what\u2019s best for New York\u2019s 21st District,\u201d Gendebien said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am an objective thinker more than anything. I am an objective thinker that has the utilitarian perspective that you want to do the greatest number of good for the greatest number of people, and that\u2019s the way I view politics, and that\u2019s the way I approach politics,\u201d Constantino said.<\/p>\n
While they disagree on many issues, both candidates cite improving rural healthcare as a top priority, though their plans differ. Constantino wants to expand remote access to care, like telehealth, while Gendebien proposes expanding maternity care and improving access for troops at Fort Drum.<\/p>\n
The war with Iran is another hot-button issue this election cycle. Gendebien believes Congress should decide on military action. \u201cDon\u2019t you think it\u2019s time that our rural legislators have a vote or a say before we get into international conflicts that put our young people\u2019s lives at risk and disproportionately drive up costs for all of us?\u201d Gendebien said.<\/p>\n
Constantino approves of President Donald Trump\u2019s handling of the war. \u201cIf we show weakness that emboldens them, so we have to have the president\u2019s back. We have to put our nation\u2019s military geniuses to work and figure out how to bring this to a successful resolution,\u201d Constantino said.<\/p>\n
Reporter Alek LaShomb: Would you like Congress to have a say, though, on whether we are doing this?<\/p>\n
Anthony Constantino: I think it is going to weaken the president\u2019s negotiating hand. If we do that, it is going to make the war get drawn out longer.<\/p>\n
On artificial intelligence, Gendebien says guardrails are necessary. \u201cI think we need to make sure it can\u2019t escape and create serious national security problems,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Constantino did not indicate his stance on AI regulation, but he does disagree with New York\u2019s one-year moratorium on AI data centers. \u201cYou should be skeptical. You don\u2019t just want to put a data center in a residential neighborhood, but banning them outright, that is a mistake for New York state. People on a local basis should be able to decide if it makes sense or not,\u201d Constantino said.<\/p>\n
It is unclear whether the candidates will debate before Election Day. Constantino accepted an invitation from sister station WRGB in Albany, but Gendebien has declined the request as of Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n
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