BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

LISBON — In the waning hours of election night NY-21 Congressional candidate Blake Gendebien thanked supporters, offered respect to his opponent and said the fight for the North Country isn’t over.

Gendebien said his campaign had brought the North Country closer to a competitive Democratic race. At the time votes were still being counted and he said he  would respect the outcome of the election, regardless of the result.

He  added that his speech wasn’t a concession, but also acknowledged that voters appeared to be making their choice.

Gendebien thanked his  family for their support throughout the campaign. He credited his parents with teaching him the values of hard work, honesty and helping neighbors without expecting anything in return.

Gendebien also recognized his wife, Carmen, for standing beside him throughout the two-year campaign, including long drives across the district, late-night town halls and what he described as increasingly personal attacks.

“I said, ‘Don't worry, it's a special election. It's going to be 90 days,’” Gendebien said.

The couple, he said, had raised a family, built a farm and started the Jewels of Life Foundation, which supports North Country families during difficult times.

He also thanked his sons for helping maintain the family farm.

“I could not have run this race without knowing the farm was in good hands,” Gendebien said.

Gendebien cited the district's strong Republican voting history, noting that Donald Trump had carried it by 21 percentage points and the previous Republican candidate by 24 points.

Despite the challenges, Gendebien said the campaign raised $9 million from nearly 90,000 donors, largely through small-dollar contributions, while competing against a self-funding millionaire.

“We are closer than any other Democrat has been in a decade,” he said.

Gendebien credited the campaign with helping inspire record turnout and said the  campaign's progress was driven by volunteers, working people and residents who wanted a broader conversation about the region's future.

“That work does not disappear,” he said. “It's the foundation for everything that comes next.”

Gendebien thanked union members and other supporters knocked on doors, made phone calls and stood behind the campaign throughout the race.

“I will keep standing with you,” he said.

Gendebien also addressed his opponent, Anthony Constantino, acknowledging that he had run a strong campaign. He said he has respect for anyone willing to seek public office.

He outlined several priorities for the North Country, including lowering costs for families, protecting rural hospitals and improving relationships with neighboring communities in Ontario and Quebec.

Families are paying too much for groceries, diesel fuel and home heating, Gendebien said.

He also called for efforts to preserve rural hospitals, saying families should not have to travel two hours to deliver a baby or reach an emergency room. He said North Country farms, businesses and the tourism economy depend on a functioning border.

“Those are not partisan goals,” he said. “They're North Country goals.”told

Gendebien thanked volunteers, donors and voters who supported his campaign, including those who crossed party lines.

He said he was honored by the trust of voters who set aside political labels to support a dairy farmer from Lisbon.

“The issues that brought you here, the cost of living, our hospitals, our place in this region are still waiting to be solved,” he said. “And they need you.”

Gendebien said the North Country remained his home and that he intended to continue working for the region regardless of the election outcome.

“The North Country is my home. It made me who I am, and I'm not going anywhere,” he said. “And neither is this fight.”