WATCH: Blake Gendebien Delivers Victory Speech After Winning Democratic Nomination in NY-21
June 23, 2026
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June 23, 2026
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WATCH: Blake Gendebien Delivers Victory Speech After Winning Democratic Nomination in NY-21
LISBON, NY — Following his victory in the Democratic primary for New York’s 21st Congressional District, farmer, small business owner, and Democratic nominee Blake Gendebien delivered a victory speech focused on lowering costs, protecting rural healthcare, supporting farmers and working families, and bringing independent leadership to Washington.
In his speech, Gendebien reflected on the 18-month campaign that took him to every corner of Northern New York and outlined the stakes of the general election:
Tonight, Upstate sent a message — and Washington better be listening.
Eighteen months ago, we launched this campaign with a simple belief: that the people of Northern New York deserve someone who knows them, understands them, and will fight for them.
And tonight, the voters spoke loud and clear.
But this campaign has never been about a party. It has never been about political insiders. And it has never been about me.
This campaign is for everyone who believes that Upstate deserves better.
It’s for the farmer in St. Lawrence County who can’t get a fair price for his milk.
The senior in Plattsburgh rationing her medication because she can’t afford the copay.
The veteran coming home to Fort Drum who can’t find a doctor.
The family in Fort Edward sitting around the kitchen table trying to figure out how to pay the bills when everything keeps getting more expensive.
I am a second-generation dairy farmer from Lisbon. My wife Carmen and I have run a dairy farm, worked the land, served our community, and raised three boys just a few miles from the Canadian border for more than twenty years.
I know what it costs to fill a fuel tank.
I know what it means when a hospital closes.
I know what a broken immigration system does to a farm that can’t find workers.
And I want to say something directly to every Upstate family watching tonight.
If you’re worried about your hospital closing — I am your candidate.
If you’re worried about the price of gas and groceries — I am your candidate.
If you’re worried about your farm or small business surviving — I am your candidate.
If you’re worried about your kids being able to stay in Upstate New York and build a future here — I am your candidate.
If you’re tired of politicians in Washington trading stocks and getting richer while you struggle to pay your bills — I am your candidate.
Washington has forgotten about working people for too long.
Seven hospitals are at risk of closing in Northern New York.
The Farm Bill still hasn’t passed.
Costs keep going up.
And Congress keeps fighting each other while families keep suffering.
That ends in November.
Because in November, voters will have a choice.
They can choose another self-serving, wannabe DC insider who thinks millions of dollars can buy a seat in Congress. Someone who has always put his interests first—just ask the workers he replaced with robots.
Or they can choose a farmer.
Someone who has spent his life working here, raising a family here, and fighting for this community.
Someone who understands that public service is about serving people—not yourself.
Someone who has built a campaign supported by Republicans, Independents, and Democrats.
That’s the choice.
And I am ready to make that case in every town, every village, and every county across this district.
I want to thank Stuart Amoriell for running a campaign focused on the issues that matter to this community. Democracy is stronger when good people step forward and participate, and I thank him for his service.
And to our volunteers—the people who knocked on doors, made phone calls, hosted events, put up signs, showed up in the rain, the snow, the cold, and the mud—you are the heart of this campaign.
This victory belongs to you.
For eighteen months, you believed in this campaign. You built this campaign. And over the next five months, we’re going to win this campaign together.
To Carmen and our boys—everything I do is for you and for this community we love.
And to the people of Northern New York, I promise you this:
I will never forget where I came from.
I will never forget who I work for.
And I will fight every single day for the farmers, the veterans, the seniors, the union members, the small business owners, and the hardworking families who built this region and deserve so much better than what Washington has given them.
Tonight we celebrate.
Tomorrow we get back to work.
We have five months to win this election.
Thank you!
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