Sticker tycoon. Trump cheerleader. Rapper. Congressman?

Anthony Constantino, 43, the founder of the New York sticker company Sticker Mule and a loud Donald Trump supporter, is the Republican nominee for the 21st congressional district seat now held by Elise Stefanik. The contest is tighter than the district's recent history would suggest. Trump carried it by 21 points in 2024 and Republicans have held it since 2015, yet Constantino's polling edge has shrunk to single digits, with one survey this month showing him four points down. The Cook Partisan Voting Index downgraded the race to likely Republican in September, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee put it on its Red to Blue list in early October, according to The Guardian.

Constantino, who boxed professionally starting at 40, released a 20-track pro-Trump rap album in December 2025. He defends the project as a choice for voters who prefer music to speeches. His songs have also attacked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in xenophobic and racist terms, and his language has led to legal fights with fellow Republicans. He has said he opposes unionization.

Democrat Blake Gendebien, a dairy farmer from Lisbon, says living costs dominate voters' concerns. He also faults Trump's Iran war.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →