Who Is the Democrat Trying to Win Elise Stefanik’s Seat?

Blake Gendebien, a farmer and Democrat,  is running for Congress for the soon-to-be open seat in the 21st Congressional District currently held by Rep. Elise Stefanik. Stefanik is expected to resign her seat soon, once she's confirmed as President Trump's Ambassador to the United Nations.

Who is Blake Gendebien?

First, his name is pronounced: Blake JEN'duh-Bean, if you were wondering. He describes himself this way in his bio: "I’m a husband, father of three boys, second-generation dairy farmer, small business owner, and served as Vice Chair of the Cooperative Board of Agri-Mark. I was born and raised on a farm in the North Country and I’ve been deeply rooted in this community my whole life – as a JV basketball coach, Lisbon Central School Board Member, and founder of a non-profit supporting kids with pediatric cancer and their families."

Gendebien says he's running for Congress because, "Not enough of the people who are supposed to be representing us in Washington have calluses on their hands or know what it means to put in a real day’s work." He says both sides tend to spend most of their time fighting against each other and positioning themselves to get re-elected. But on the farm, he says, " when you’re making small square bales of hay, milking cows, or shoveling stalls, you don’t ask the person next to you which party they belong to, you just get to work."

Can a Democrat Win in the Rural NY-21

It's going to be an uphill climb for a Democrat these days in the very rural 21st Congressional District. However, it's not impossible and as one Republican strategist said recently, he's probably the best candidate Democrats could have chosen. At a time when Democratic leadership seems to be out of touch with middle America, here comes a "Dem" who understands rural communities, hard work, and is an actual dairy farmer.

Here's the breakdown on the district's numbers: There are 131,803 active voters in 21 who are register Democrats and Working Families party members. There are 215,775 active Republicans and Conservative Party members, a nearly 84,000 voter advantage. Where the race becomes mathematically interesting is when you factor in 146,813 independent voters in the district, which is why Democrats are looking at this race with some tempered optimism.

During a recent radio Interview, we found that Gendebien supports Ukraine, seems to be apprehensive about President Trump's and Elon Musk's DOGE efforts, and he says he is a proud farming gun owner who supports the Second Amendment. He also feels that comprehensive background checks could help. We also asked him about an interview from more than a decade ago when he said local workers couldn't be counted on like migrant workers, and how the migrant worker program makes about about 50-percent of the farming workforce.

Watch the interview here: