SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Vice President JD Vance appeared at a rally in support of Republican congressional candidate Anthony Constantino in Rome on Monday morning.
Constantino ran against Democrat Blake Gendebien for an open seat in New York’s 21st Congressional District. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who holds the seat, did not seek re-election. Stefanik first took office in January 2015. The district includes 15 counties and areas such as the Adirondacks and Lake Placid.
The rally for Constantino took place at the Griffiss Institute, on the former Griffiss Air Force Base. Air Force Two landed on the tarmac, and the vice president, Donald Trump Jr. and Energy Secretary Chris Wright walked up to the podium and spoke to the crowd.
Attendees had to go through security procedures to enter the venue, and once they did, volunteers handed out free water bottles and Constantino NY-21 hats. The venue was decorated with signs that read “Defend Our Future.”
Constantino’s mother welcomed him to the stage before he gave his remarks.
Constantino founded Sticker Mule, a custom printing company based in Amsterdam, N.Y.Gendebien is a North Country dairy farmer. “Anthony built a business, building things, right here in this district. Anthony did not hire slave labor in some foreign country. He hired Americans. He built it American. He paid good wages to American citizens because he loves this country,” Vance said.
Constantino self-funded his congressional campaign, and Vance said that was just “another thing he likes about Anthony.”
“I happen to remember a man that we sent to Washington in 2016 because he wasn’t owned by his donors. That was President Donald J. Trump and Anthony is cut from the same cloth,” Vance said.
The vice president called Gendebien a “lunatic.”
Meantime, Constantino told the crowd that “Who Blake Gendebien is as a person is emblematic of what the Democratic Party has increasingly become. It’s a party that prefers illegal immigrants over the American people.”
Constantino criticized the media throughout his speech. “I am going to disagree with the president of the United States of America for the very first time,” he said. “I don’t believe fake news is accurate, it’s actually evil news because these are people that are actively working to hurt their own country and they know it. That is evil.”
The crowd erupted in a “tell the truth” chant while facing the media.
Vance also endorsed Republican candidate Kailee Buller, who ran against incumbent Rep. John Mannion, D-N.Y., for New York’s 22nd Congressional District. He referred to Buller as “an amazing, patriotic candidate.” The 22nd District includes Onondaga County.
Constantino, Buller and Vance all spoke out in favor of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman and against incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul. The crowd started a “ditch the witch” chant directed at Hochul.
Blakeman did not attend the event.
Constantino defeated Gendebien in Tuesday’s election. Buller lost to Mannion, and Blakeman lost to Hochul.
