New York State Sen. Dan Stec is officially running to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik in Congress.
Stec announced his congressional run in an interview with local media affiliate WWNY on Christmas Eve.
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Stefanik to serve as Ambassador to the United Nations. Stefanik was reelected to Congress for a sixth term in the November election. But if approved by the Senate, a special election will be held to fill her seat in New York’s 21st Congressional District.
Stec is a Navy veteran and previously served as a New York State Assemblymember and Queensbury town supervisor.
The state senator believes that he is the best candidate for the seat encompassing upstate New York, right along the Canadian border.
“My argument is that I am the most electable,” Stec said. “If we are concerned about holding this seat and the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, you want to put your most likely-to-win candidate forward and no one can compare the numbers like I do with how much of the district I already represent.”
His current state senate seat in the 45th district resides within the boundaries of Stefanik’s district.
He also pointed to his record in the New York legislature and the 104,000 votes he won in the previous election for state senate, which he said is nearly half of the total Stefanik won in her bid for re-election.
“At the end of the day, it’s about representing the district, and for the last 12 years in Albany, I know what it means to represent the district. And if I can do that in Albany, I am certain I can do that in Washington,” Stec added.
Stec joins outspoken Trump supporter Anthony Constantino, the CEO of Sticker Mule, in running for the seat. Constantino announced his congressional run this week, noting that he is a political outsider and describing himself as “the party’s strongest candidate” by far.
“I am not a politician but I have the business background, deep commitment to President Trump, and the personal resources to finance my own campaign so as not to be beholden to any special interest,” Constantino wrote in a post on X.
Constantino made headlines in October when he erected a giant “Vote for Trump” sign over his company’s Amsterdam headquarters. The democrat mayor claimed the sign was displayed without a proper permit, but Constantino argued that he had the right to express his political views.
“I already beat the Democrats, very badly, once when they tried to throw me in jail for installing the country’s largest ‘Vote for Trump’ sign atop my tallest factory building and I am eager to beat them many more times for the benefit of all citizens,” Constantino said in announcing his congressional bid.
Stefanik has been serving in Congress since 2015 and has been a staunch Trump ally. The congresswoman has seen bipartisan support to be confirmed as U.N. ambassador in late January.
Following Stefanik’s confirmation, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will have 10 days to establish a special election date, which must be held within three months.