To the Editor:

The 2026 Midterm election will be one of unprecedented significance. NY-21 has the opportunity not only to elect a Representative who knows and understands Northern NY, truly cares about us and meets with us, but also to be part of a major overthrow of the House of Representatives in the wake of unbridled cruelty, corruption, lies & collusion of the current Administration!

If you are a registered voter in NY-21 your role in this election is clear and urgent. Regardless of your prior political party affiliation, the choice at the polls this fall is between Blake Gendebein, an upstanding, responsible, hard working individual who has taken care of his family, actively contributed to our community and his opponent, Anthony Constantino, who from all indications aspires only to be a puppet of the Trump administration.

There is no comparison between these two candidates. Blake Gendebein is our neighbor, our friend, our advocate. We may not agree with all of his campaign positions but there is no question about his integrity, his dedication and his boundless energy, campaigning all across our vast Congressional district for nearly 18 months, all while managing a large dairy farm.

Anthony Constantino is a wealthy entrepreneur, supported by Trump, as the Administration knows that Constantino is not interested in integrity, fairness, protecting human rights or even safety social net programs such as SNAP, Medicare, education and respectful international relations.  

While we continue to be harmed by the policies of the current administration, tariffs, an unnecessary war in Iran, hospitals threatened with closure, etc, etc, the current President is desperate to support any candidate who will not be independent, who will not place US first, who will continue to sell us out to the greed & criminality of Trump and his friends.  While NNY’ers struggle to afford food, housing, gas for our cars, Trump and his cronies rake in literally billions of dollars and still ask for more.

Constantino brags that he has no allegiance to his campaign supporters, no, he has allegiance only to Donald Trump, who has repeatedly stated that “he does not care at all about gas prices” or the price of groceries or whether any of us have medical care. How absurd, that a supposed “leader” who openly states that he does not care about the American people, has no interest in “leading” us to a better future, instead he is most interested in being an international bully, threatening even our most trusted allies with tariffs, threatening the autonomy of other countries and placing our armed services at risk with unnecessary armed conflicts. He is interested in a golden ballroom instead of our ability to pay our bills, he is obsessed with a triumphal arch, honoring himself, while he has never worn a uniform and been in harm's way. Constantino is trying to hitch a ride with Trump while Trump descends into further selfish, monomaniacal pursuits.

There is no real choice this fall: the only responsible choice is Blake Gendebein, to clearly signal Trump and the billionaires colluding with him that We the People have power. And we need to show up at the midterm polls to use our power to protect our rights, our future and the future of our children and grandchildren.

Jane Lammers
Canton