Undercover Recordings Blow Up Dem’s ‘Moderate’ Pitch To Voters

Democrat Blake Gendebien has spent his campaign presenting himself as a rural, independent-minded Democrat who can compete in one of New York’s most conservative congressional districts.

But newly obtained undercover audio by The Daily Wire reveals Gendebien telling voters and activists that he supports abortion without restrictions, universal background checks and gun-storage laws, and broad vaccination mandates.

Gendebien is running against Republican Anthony Constantino in New York’s 21st Congressional District, a sprawling Upstate constituency currently represented by Elise Stefanik (R-NY). The district encompasses 15 counties and more than 16,000 square miles, stretching across much of New York’s North Country, the state’s northernmost geographic region. The district voted for President Donald Trump by roughly 21 points in 2024, according to Punchbowl News, and Stefanik won re-election with nearly 62% of the vote. Gendebien, a second-generation dairy farmer, has nevertheless attracted national Democratic attention as Democrats look to compete in traditionally Republican districts.

Gendebien has emphasized his rural background and willingness to work across party lines as he campaigns in the district. But in recordings obtained exclusively by The Daily Wire, he describes positions on some of the most contentious issues in American politics that are considerably more explicit than the moderate image he has cultivated on the campaign trail.

He was asked during a September 3 event in front of an audience of healthcare workers whether he supported any restrictions on abortion and what limits he would impose.

“I fully stand with women and the decision to control their reproductive care is between their physician, between their family, and, of course, themselves,” Gendebien responded. “We need to go back to the precedent set by Roe v. Wade.”

Pressed specifically on restrictions, Gendebien could not identify any.

Gendebien also spoke favorably about Planned Parenthood during another portion of the event, discussing his mother’s work there.

“My mom also taught reproductive classes at Planned Parenthood in Ogdensburg, New York, when there was an office there,” he said.

His position on guns is similarly explicit. Gendebien said he supports both universal background checks and laws governing firearm storage.

“We have to have universal background checks, we have to have safe gun storage laws,” Gendebien said in the audio obtained by The Daily Wire. “And we’ve got to take those things seriously.”

Gendebien has also endorsed maintaining vaccination mandates. During the September 3 event, he said, “I’m laser focused on making sure that we don’t lose vaccination mandates. That’s just, to me, it seems crazy. So we need healthy communities, we need healthy kids, and I don’t want to go back in time.”

Michael Waller, Gendebien’s campaign manager, did not address specifics in response to the Daily Wire’s questions. “Blake has spent his whole life in this district — farming, coaching, running the school board, and representing farmers for a decade,” he said. “People here know where he stands, that’s why he’s earned support from Republicans, Independents, and Democrats alike.”

The comments provide a more detailed picture of Gendebien’s policy positions as he tries to win a seat that has long favored Republicans. The Democrat has emphasized his background as a dairy farmer and argued that economic problems facing the North Country — including energy costs, trade with Canada and rural health care — transcend traditional party divisions.

He has also publicly distanced himself from New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) while stressing his willingness to work with Republicans in Congress, according to the Times Union. That strategy reflects the reality of running as a Democrat in a district that backed Trump decisively, but Gendebien’s comments on abortion, guns, and vaccines undermine the moderate label Gendebien has worked hard to curate.

The race has drawn attention from national Democrats. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) has campaigned with Gendebien, while the Blue Dog PAC has endorsed him.

Gendebien has had to readjust his rhetoric for Democratic leadership before. In August, his campaign aired a television ad promising voters that he would “stand up to Kathy Hochul or work with Donald Trump, anything to do what’s right for upstate.”

According to two people familiar with the situation who spoke to Politico’s New York Playbook, Gendebien was subsequently told that the ad needed to come down and that he would be suspended from the New York Democratic Party’s statewide coordinated campaign while it remained on the air.

The 30-second ad aired for roughly 10 days in the Albany television market, according to AdImpact. Gendebien’s campaign disputed that characterization, saying the spot had simply reached the end of its planned run.

Gendebien nonetheless appeared at the opening of a Democratic coordinated-campaign office shortly afterward, and state Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs said the party remained committed to supporting his campaign.

Republicans have seized on that tension to argue that Gendebien’s moderate presentation is primarily a campaign strategy. “Partisan Democrat Blake Gendebien” is how the National Republican Congressional Committee has described him, while Anthony Constantino’s campaign has sought to portray him as aligned with the national Democratic Party.

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