{"id":367343,"date":"2026-10-07T23:44:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T23:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/367343\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T23:44:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T23:44:10","slug":"blake-gendebien-talks-debates-rural-healthcare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/367343\/","title":{"rendered":"Blake Gendebien talks debates, rural healthcare"},"content":{"rendered":"

Big news in the race for New York\u2019s 21st Congressional District, better known as the geographically vast congressional seat currently occupied by Rep. Elise Stefanik.<\/p>\n

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) on Monday moved the North Country race onto its list of most competitive races in the country, a decision that comes with money, messaging, and manpower.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a remarkable feat for first-time candidate Democrat Blake Gendebien, a dairy farmer who is taking on Trump acolyte Anthony Constantino in a district that voted for President Donald Trump by 21 points in 2024. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Gendebien spoke with Capital Tonight\u2019s Susan Arbetter about the race as well as some issues facing the voters of NY-21.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are hitting all the right notes,\u201d he said of his campaign. \u201cWe are talking about saving rural healthcare. We are talking about driving down costs from the farm gate to the dinner plate.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked why he declined to debate his Republican opponent, Gendebien said he was willing to debate earlier in the campaign season, but Constantino had requirements that couldn\u2019t be met.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would have loved to debate in September, but he had unreasonable demands,\u201d Gendebien said, claiming that Constantino wanted a local news outlet to return $1 million and that the Republican demanded the debate take place in a large stadium. \u201cNow that he\u2019s losing the race, he\u2019s desperate for a debate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why didn\u2019t Gendebien debate in October?<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we weren\u2019t sitting around in September. We were scheduling through October. I don\u2019t have $16 million to throw around for this race,\u201d he said. \u201cHe is self-funding to buy this seat.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Constantino campaign sent the following emailed statement to Capital Tonight in response to Gendebien\u2019s comments:<\/p>\n

“I accepted multiple dates from multiple broadcast stations, while Gendebien has accepted zero, probably because New York State Police said he is under criminal investigation,\u201d Constantino stated. \u201cThere is no record of him accepting a debate in September. Gendebien’s plan is to use far-left donor money from NYC and Hollywood to lie in advertising while I’m proud to self-fund my campaign and aggressively debate the issues.”<\/p>\n

The criminal investigation referenced by Constantino refers to Constantino\u2019s own accusation that Gendebien is illegally dumping garbage on his farm. More can be found here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation found no violations.<\/p>\n

When it comes to policy issues, Gendebien cited rural healthcare as being critical.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have small business owners who are on the Affordable Care Act and when those premium subsidies were cut a lot of them said, \u2018I can\u2019t even afford it anymore\u2019. So they went off of health insurance,\u201d he said. \u201cIf they get sick, it\u2019s going to be really expensive for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gendebien also commented on the number of hospital bankruptcies that have hit the North Country and promised to address the physician, transportation and EMS shortages in the district.<\/p>\n

Capital Tonight has sent an invitation to appear on the show to the Constantino campaign and has yet to hear back.<\/p>\n

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