Republican congressional candidate Anthony Constantino alleged that a campaign commercial criticizing his company’s temporary printing of “Kill the Police” stickers is a veiled attempt by Democrat Blake Gendebien’s campaign to limit Constantino’s ability to self-fund his campaign.
“Let’s be honest. They’re trying to attack my business to hurt my company, to hurt my employees because they think it hurts me financially, and it knee-caps my ability to self-fund to fight for the people. That’s what this is all about,” Constantino said Tuesday, in a video posted on his campaign Facebook page.
Gendebien, contacted to respond, said in a statement: “I’m responsible for running my business. Anthony is responsible for running his. If he needs to break his self-funding promise because his business is failing, he should look in the mirror instead of blaming everyone else.”
Constantino, who is not accepting campaign contributions, had personally loaned his campaign $12 million, as of June 30, the most recent report filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Self-funding, he has said, prevents him from being influenced by special interests.
In an interview on July 4, Constantino said he was considering accepting campaign contributions for the general election.
He later said he would continue to solely self-fund his campaign.
Constantino said he refunded $7,000 that House Majority Whip Thomas Emmer, R-MN., contributed through his campaign fund and political action committee.
Constantino has said that Emmer made the contributions in error.
Gendebien, a prolific fund-raiser, had raised $5.72 million, as of June 30.
Gendebien has accused Constantino of “trying to buy an election,” while Constantino has accused Gendebien of being “a puppet” of special interest donors.
Gendebien on Monday announced the launch of a new campaign commercial alleging that Constanino is motivated by self- interest.
“He profited from ‘Kill the Police’ merchandise. … Constantino will do anything to make a buck and impress his DC insiders,” the narrator of the commercial alleges.
The ad shows “Kill the Police” stickers and other anti-Semitic and crude stickers which Sticker Mule, Constantino’s company, produced.
State Assemblyman Robert Smullen, R-Johnstown, had made the same criticisms in television commercials leading up to the Republican primary in June, which Constantino won handily.
In his video on Tuesday, Constantino reiterated that Sticker Mule did not directly sell the “Kill the Police” stickers and claimed, without evidence, that they had been designed by liberal Democrats.
Sticker Mule offers independent contractors an opportunity to establish their own internet stores to sell stickers the independent contractors design, with Sticker Mule doing the printing.
An independent contractor offered the “Kill the Police” sticker in violation of his company’s policy on appropriateness, he said.
Once Sticker Mule learned of the design, it removed it from being offered.
Constantino announced in the video that Sticker Mule has developed new technology to prevent the sale of inappropriate merchandise.
“Now we’re using AI technology to stop them from getting up in the first place. It’s not perfect, but it is a good step,” he said.
Constantino, an Amsterdam business man who lives in Edinburg, in Saratoga County, and Gendebien, a farmer from Lisbon, in St. Lawrence County, are running for the 21st Congressional seat that is open because six-term U. S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, is not seeking reelection.
Independent Christopher Schmidt, a day laborer from Hudson Falls, is running a write-in campaign.