NY-21: Democrat plans to stay in race until 2026 election
ALBANY — Blake Gendebien was working in the campaign office at his Lisbon dairy farm when he got the news last week that U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik’s long-delayed appointment as U.N. ambassador had been scrapped by the White House.
“As a farmer, I am so prepared for changes in weather,” Gendebien said. “I’m so prepared for different things to happen that are out of my control. We just immediately pivoted and started thinking about what’s next.”
Until last Thursday, Gendebien was the presumptive Democratic nominee in the special election expected to decide Stefanik’s successor in New York’s 21st Congressional District this year. The political newcomer spent almost four months on the campaign trail — driving across the sprawling district, responding to fierce attacks from Republicans as he raked in more than $3 million in donations. Democrats saw the special election as an opportunity to make inroads in the deeply red district, especially with the chance of a third-party candidate splitting conservative votes.
But the White House scuttled those hopes last week, announcing that Stefanik will remain in Congress for now. Republicans in Washington had slowwalked her confirmation as ambassador to the United Nations for months to protect their narrow majority in the House of Representatives. The tentative plan had been to vote on her appointment the day after two key congressional special elections in Florida on Monday that looked like safe bets for the GOP.
https://www.timesunion.com/capitol/article/ny-21-democrat-plans-stay-race-2026-election-20254762.php
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