Blakeman, Constantino tender two takes on Trump

As Republicans in the state look to defend a North Country congressional seat in upcoming midterm elections, they’re also aiming to drum up support at the top of the ticket in the well-known party stronghold. And two GOP candidates who often campaign on their close ties to President Donald Trump are starting to heed different strategies when it comes to Trump, who’s widely unpopular downstate, but popular in some upstate enclaves.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Republican running against Gov. Kathy Hochul, on Sunday headed to Fulton County and joined Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino as he vies to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik in Congress. “We’re a team, and we’ve got to make sure that we support each other,” Blakeman said of Constantino after the event. “It’s important that we keep this congressional district red.”

The GOP pair met last fall at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club in Palm Beach, Florida, where Constantino is a member. Both Blakeman and Constantino have since spoken with, or met with, Trump on several occasions as they look to advance his agenda in New York. 

Constantino is staying as close as he can to Trump as he runs against Democrat dairy farmer Blake Gendebien in the 21st Congressional District, where there are roughly 215,000 registered Republicans compared to just under 133,700 registered Democrats. He often refers to an artificial intelligence-generated music video he made about the president that he’s particularly proud of. People have boycotted his sticker and T-shirt company because of his relationship with Trump. 

Sunday’s event was no different: When asked where he disagrees with the president, Constantino would only recount a boxing opinion of Trump’s he didn’t like. Even when asked more detailed questions about the potential effects on the North Country from Trump’s threatened 50% tariffs on Canadian exports, Constantino declined to answer before speaking to the president. (He said he’s been invited to meet again with Trump and his staff sometime in the near future, where he hopes to discuss many issues with the president, a date has not yet been set.) “I think President Trump tries to do his best to do what’s right for the country, and he uses tariffs as a negotiating tactic, and I think you’ve got to trust the judgment of leadership,” Constantino told reporters, minutes before speaking behind a podium with a campaign sign with the slogan, “Nobody’s man but yours.”

The sticker magnate said White House staff told him the president will support the campaign with anything he needs, though Constantino self-funds his campaign (records show he’s given himself at least $12 million so far). He added he hopes to get the president to campaign for him in the North Country, as he did recently for Rep. Mike Lawler.

Likewise, Blakeman has never been shy about his loyalty to Trump, and has refused to publicly discuss where his views differ from the president’s. But Blakeman seems ready to talk: He told reporters in Albany last week he has “philosophical differences” with Trump on some things, like the economy, immigration and guest worker programs, and he plans to reveal them in the coming weeks. 

Blakeman is one of several county leaders the state has directed to end its local 287(g) agreements, or formal partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He said he still hasn’t made a decision about how he’ll limit the existing county policy, or if the county will pursue legal action. Not doing so would represent a departure from the Trump administration’s hardline approach to immigration.

Blakeman appears to be putting his distance between himself and Trump for the first time as Republicans focus on keeping control of the U.S. House of Representatives – though it was reported Monday that the two will appear together in Nassau County on Friday. Last week, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee put NY-21 on its list of seats party leaders think they have a shot at flipping. And top Democrats in the state, like Hochul, agree, and have said they think they can take the seat back in November, likely fueled by a fiery intraparty primary fight. Blakeman didn’t take a side in that race, and only endorsed Constantino after it was over. 

Stefanik backed Constantino the night he won the June primary, but had stayed silent in the contest before that. She has yet to endorse Blakeman, who became the Republican gubernatorial nominee after she suspended her campaign. 

“She’s been a little busy down in Congress, and she’s been a little busy on her book tour,” Blakeman said when asked about it Sunday. “I’m sure we’ll get together at some point.”