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By: Hal C Clarke
Blake Gendebien, the Democrat running to replace former New York Rep. Elise Stefanik in the 21st Congressional District, once dismissed local upstate workers as too lazy and unreliable to work on his farm—claiming they couldn’t compete with hardworking Hispanic immigrants.
According to an exclusive NY Post report, Gendebien, co-owner of Twin Mills Farms in Ogdensburg near the Canadian border, made the controversial remarks during a 2013 interview meant to highlight rural life in America. He asserted that local workers couldn’t match the dedication of his Hispanic employees, who often put in 12-hour shifts “six and a half days a week.”
“That’s their choice,” Gendebien said of his immigrant farmhands’ long hours. But when it came to hiring locally, he was far less optimistic.
Gendebien’s Harsh Criticism of Local Workers
Gendebien, who hopes to flip the North Country seat previously held by Stefanik—now President Trump’s pick for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations—suggested that it would take six local workers to replace just three of his Hispanic employees.
“It’s hard to find one local person that doesn’t have domestic abuse problems, alcohol problems, wage garnishments,” he said in the interview.
He further criticized upstate New Yorkers, claiming many struggle with custody battles and child-support disputes that constantly pull them away from work.
“They show up late. They drink too much. There is just no labor force out there,” he added.
GOP Blasts Gendebien as ‘Radical Far Left’
Republicans were quick to condemn Gendebien’s remarks, arguing that they show he is completely out of touch with the district he hopes to represent.
“Republicans are thrilled by the selection of Democrats of radical Far Left Blake Gendebien, who not only supported Joe Biden’s open border policies but also bailed out illegals from ICE,” said New York State GOP Chairman Ed Cox.
Gendebien, in the same interview, recalled posting $10,000 bail for a farmworker detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He accused ICE of unfairly profiling people based on their skin color.
With immigration and border security being hot-button issues in the conservative-leaning North Country, Cox predicted Gendebien’s past comments would alienate voters.
“Gendebien viciously claimed that local correctional officers ‘don’t have much self-worth’ and disparaged North Country children as lacking ‘practical independence and an ability to think,’” Cox said. “Far Left Democrat Blake Gendebien even castigated hardworking North Country workers as ‘awful’ people who ‘drank too much.’”
Stefanik’s Seat in Republican Hands—for Now
With Stefanik’s departure to serve in the Trump administration, the race for her former House seat is heating up. However, the Republican Party has yet to announce its candidate.
Still, GOP leaders are confident they’ll retain the seat in the upcoming special election.
“Democrats didn’t do their homework when they selected Gendebien,” Cox said. “The North Country is unquestionably Trump Country, and we will keep this seat red.”
