Anthony Constantino, a 44-year old sticker mogul who put his loyalty to President Trump at the heart of his campaign, narrowly won a House race to succeed Representative Elise Stefanik, keeping the seat in New York’s North Country under Republican control, according to The Associated Press.
A first-time candidate who spent roughly $17 million into his self-funded campaign, Mr. Constantino seemed to delight in eschewing political decorum, much like his mentor, Mr. Trump.
With the race still too close to call on election night, Mr. Constantino nonetheless delivered a 25-minute acceptance speech that was indignant and pugilistic. He told one Republican opponent to “go hide in a hole” and described reporters as “scumbags” and “evil.”
He closed by pledging to give each of his roughly 1,200 employees a $1,000 bonus, and called upon the leaders of other major companies to do the same.
It was Mr. Constantino’s penchant for grandiose gestures that gave him visibility in Mr. Trump’s circle. He mounted a 100-foot-wide “VOTE FOR TRUMP” sign atop the headquarters of his company, Sticker Mule, in Amsterdam, N.Y. He later gave the president a life-size bronze statue, and recorded a rap album that he entitled “Thank You President Trump.”
Democrats and some Republicans saw his political antics and his close ties to the president as a liability, bolstering the hopes of his Democratic opponent, Blake Gendebien, a dairy farmer who hoped to attract enough voters in a district that favored President Trump by 20 points just two years ago.
Mr. Gendebien, 49, who served as the former vice chairman of the cooperative that produces Cabot cheese, focused on local and economic issues, including expanding rural health care and bringing down the price of diesel for farmers.
He earned the endorsements of some of the state’s most powerful unions, including the A.F.L.-C.I.O., Teamsters, teachers’ union and Police Conference of New York. And he was careful to distance himself from Democrats on key issues like energy policy (despite the fact that the party showered him with significant financial and operational support).
It appeared Mr. Gendebien had some momentum, even slightly surpassing Mr. Constantino in one late-stage poll. But Mr. Constantino prevailed by two percentage points, with The Associated Press calling the race on Friday.
Mr. Constantino spent much of his campaign attacking his opponent, Mr. Gendebien, sometimes going to unusual lengths. He acknowledged paying private investigators to fly a drone above Mr. Gendebien’s farm to gather what he claimed was evidence that his rival was polluting, showing aerial video footage to reporters. (Mr. Constantino asserted that Mr. Gendebien was under investigation for pollution; state officials said there was no open inquiry.)
The over-the-top accusation followed a pattern of behavior. Mr. Constantino feuded publicly with those who should have been political allies, from local party officials to the head of the Conservative Party, Gerard Kassar. Mr. Constantino claimed that Mr. Kassar had made a threat to kill him; Mr. Kassar sued for defamation.
During the primary, Mr. Constantino was so disruptive during a candidates’ forum held by the St. Lawrence County Republican Party that he was removed by the sheriff.
Mr. Trump nonetheless endorsed Mr. Constantino in the primary, helping him to defeat Robert Smullen, a state assemblyman and former Marine who was the choice of the state Republican Party.
In the final push, Mr. Trump sent his son and his vice president to Rome, N.Y., for a last-minute rally for Mr. Constantino. In a video message, he called Mr. Constantino “a phenomenal person” and “a winner.”
Jane Gottlieb contributed reporting.
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