The fight for the House seat previously held by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) has become a battle of wills with Donald Trump after he endorsed a political neophyte to be the candidate in defiance of the state party.
According to a report from Politico’s Nick Reisman and Bill Mahoney, Trump wants to fill the seat with another MAGA loyalist after Stefanik announced she would step aside for an ill-fated run for governor that went nowhere, in large part due to her loyalty to the president. The report notes that the president tapped businessperson Anthony Constantino, the CEO of merchandising company Sticker Mule, who is waging an insurgent bid against Republican Assemblymember Robert Smullen — the establishment favorite — and Republicans are “refusing to fall in line” behind the president’s wishes. New York Conservative Party Chair Jerry Kassar made the breach explicit: “We’re big supporters of the president. We just simply feel that on this one he got it wrong.” The split is becoming increasingly personal and legal, Politico is reporting. Kassar is suing Constantino for defamation after the candidate alleged the party leader threatened to kill him and attempted to murder a press aide — allegations that have intensified the already bitter primary fight. Constantino, meanwhile, is leaning heavily on celebrity MAGA gadflies like Roger Stone and disgraced NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani — both of whom Trump specifically named in his Truth Social endorsement announcement.
“These swamp creatures are embarrassing themselves,” Constantino said of establishment Republicans. “In the next few days and weeks maybe they’ll wise up.” Smullen is consolidating establishment support as a counterweight. New York’s GOP House delegation will host a fundraiser for him in Washington next week, drawing former Trump administration official Marc Molinaro and Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman. Clinton County Republican Chair Jerika Manning emphasized the grassroots resistance to Trump’s pick:
“It’s important for North Country voters and people within the district to select their candidates and that’s what primaries are for. And I think the overwhelming support by the majority of the Republicans in the district has been for Assemblyman Smullen,” she told reporters. Democrats are circling, sensing vulnerability. Republicans fear a repeat of 2009, when Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman’s split with Republican Dede Scozzafava handed the seat to Democrat Bill Owens. Smullen holds the Conservative Party’s ballot line but has not ruled out using it in a general election — a scenario that could fracture the GOP vote and hand the district to Democrats, the report notes. The conditions could favor a Democratic upset. Trump’s tariffs, elevated fuel prices, and now an open GOP civil war create an unprecedented opportunity for Democrats in a traditionally Republican district.
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