2026 NY Primary Results Shake Up the Mohawk Valley
The ballots are counted and the battle lines for November are drawn. Here is what last night’s primary means for Utica, Central New York, and the entire region.
The June 23, 2026 New York primary election results are in, and voters across the Mohawk Valley and Central New York just helped decide which candidates will compete for three critical congressional seats this November. The 2026 NY primary results delivered a clear Trump-branded upset in the North Country, set up a fierce rematch in the Southern Tier, and locked in a high-stakes contest right here in the heart of Central New York that could decide which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives. This is not a distant Albany story. This is our story.
Three Races, Three Storylines That Matter Most to Our Region
The Mohawk Valley and Central New York sit at the center of three competitive congressional districts: NY-19, NY-21, and NY-22. Each produced a primary winner on Tuesday night, and each matchup heading into November carries enormous stakes for the communities that call this region home.
NY-21: Trump Wins Again as Constantino Defeats Smullen
The Race to Succeed Elise Stefanik
The most dramatic result of the night came in New York’s 21st Congressional District, which covers most of the North Country and extends into portions of the greater Capital Region and Mohawk Valley.
Amsterdam businessman Anthony Constantino, founder of Sticker Mule, decisively defeated sitting State Assemblyman Robert Smullen to win the Republican nomination. With 84 percent of the estimated vote counted, Constantino had 59 percent of the vote to Smullen’s 40 percent, a nearly 20-point margin.
The outcome was a stunning rebuke of the traditional Republican establishment. Smullen had been endorsed by the New York State GOP Committee as well as by 13 of the 15 county Republican committees within the 21st Congressional District. None of it mattered. What mattered was the endorsement that came from Mar-a-Lago.
Constantino, who received President Donald Trump’s endorsement in April, self-funded his campaign and bucked the traditional approach to running for office, leaning into comparisons to the president.
On primary night, Constantino was direct about what powered his win. “I think it’s fair to say I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for President Trump,” he said. “I saw what he did, and I said, ‘Well, I don’t act like a typical politician either, but he doesn’t; maybe I can make this work.'”
The 21st Congressional District is made up of most of the North Country and parts of the greater Capital Region and Mohawk Valley. It is being vacated by Stefanik, who briefly ran for governor, then dropped that bid and decided not to seek reelection to her House seat after 12 years in Congress.
Constantino received a congratulations from Stefanik, who had stayed neutral in the race, on X. “This was a hard fought election and the voters have spoken loudly and clearly,” Stefanik wrote. “He will put the people first and will be a strong Representative in Washington for the incredible hardworking families in our great district.”
The November Matchup in NY-21
Constantino will face Lisbon dairy farmer Blake Gendebien on the Democratic side in November. Smullen will still appear on the November ballot on the state’s Conservative Party line. Whether he actively campaigns against Constantino remains unclear.
This seat has been held by Republicans for over a decade and is considered a safe Republican district. However, a split conservative vote if Smullen stays active on the ballot could create unexpected drama heading into the fall.
NY-19: Oberacker Wins GOP Nod, Sets Up Riley Rematch
A Veteran State Senator Takes On a Freshman Congressman
In New York’s 19th Congressional District, which extends south and east from the region through the Hudson Valley and Southern Tier, Trump-endorsed State Senator Peter Oberacker defeated political newcomer Alex Portelli to claim the Republican nomination.
As of the latest unofficial results, Oberacker had 77.2 percent of the vote to Portelli’s 22.4 percent, with 47 percent of the estimated vote counted. It was a dominant performance.
Oberacker has spent five years as a state senator, representing the 51st Senate District, and previously served in town and county government. He will face freshman Democratic Rep. Josh Riley in the general election in November.
Riley, a first-term representative, won his seat in a narrow 51.1 percent to 48.8 percent victory over Rep. Marcus Molinaro in 2024.
New York’s 19th district is one of many competitive seats Republicans hope to flip as they look to maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives, where they hold a narrow majority.
Oberacker has focused much of his legislative career on rural issues, including agriculture, farms, and ratepayer energy costs. As a candidate, he has positioned himself as a watchdog on utility companies, writing that his legislation “requires transparency and accountability from the utilities and gives power back to people, where it belongs.”
The November Matchup in NY-19
This race is rated among the most competitive in the country. Riley will carry the advantages of incumbency and a strong fundraising operation, while Oberacker brings years of district name recognition and the full backing of the Republican base. Expect this contest to draw national money and attention through the fall.
NY-22: The Central New York Seat Closest to Home
Mannion Faces Buller in November
New York’s 22nd Congressional District is arguably the most important race for readers of the Utica Phoenix. The district covers Syracuse, Auburn, Cortland, and parts of Utica, including all of Onondaga and Madison counties and portions of Oneida, Cayuga, and Cortland counties.
On the Republican side, the primary was uncontested. Kailee Marie Buller ran unopposed on both the Republican and Conservative Party lines for the right to challenge incumbent Democratic Rep. John Mannion in November.
Buller is a native of Auburn and a food and economic policy advocate. She most recently served as chief of staff to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins under the current Trump administration. She describes herself as a moderate Republican and fiscal conservative, saying her primary focus is remedying top concerns she has heard from voters, including high utility costs, food prices, and housing availability.
Mannion, a former state senator who won the NY-22 seat in 2024 by defeating incumbent Republican Brandon Williams by roughly 10 percentage points, ran unopposed on the Democratic and Working Families Party lines.
Mannion has raised over $2.1 million overall in the full cycle, a significant fundraising advantage. Buller had raised over $200,000 as of this spring. Her campaign statement, though, made clear she is not running a traditional race: “Central New Yorkers are tired of politicians like John Mannion who pull political stunts and show up to photo ops and ribbon cuttings, but deliver nothing.”
The 22nd Congressional District has long been considered a battleground district, switching between Republican Claudia Tenney and Democrat Anthony Brindisi for several years before Mannion flipped it in 2024. Mannion is only the second Democrat to represent the area in nearly half a century.
Cook Political Report: Solid Democrat, But Not Safe
Heading into November, analysts have assigned NY-22 a solid Democrat rating, reflecting the district’s recent Democratic-leaning registration edge and Mannion’s strong fundraising. But Buller and national Republicans are betting that frustration over affordability, energy costs, and the economy can make this a real fight.
The Governor’s Race: Hochul vs. Blakeman in November
At the top of the ticket, both gubernatorial primaries were uncontested.
Democrat Kathy Hochul is seeking reelection, with former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams as her new running mate. A contested Republican primary failed to materialize when Rep. Elise Stefanik withdrew in December 2025. Trump subsequently endorsed Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood is Blakeman’s running mate.
The November matchup will be Hochul versus Blakeman. A Siena University poll from May showed Hochul holding a 16-point lead over Blakeman, 49 to 33 percent. However, that gap has narrowed from earlier in the year, and Blakeman’s campaign argues the race is tightening.
“We’re closing the gap at lightning speed because New Yorkers need real relief from Kathy Hochul’s cost of living crisis,” Blakeman said in a statement following a March poll.
For Mohawk Valley voters, the governor’s race matters because both candidates have made affordability, energy costs, and upstate economic development central campaign themes. Republicans have not won a statewide election in New York since George Pataki was re-elected governor in 2002.
What the 2026 NY Primary Results Mean for November
The primary results leave Central New York and the Mohawk Valley at the center of the midterm map in three distinct ways.
First, NY-22 is a potential pickup opportunity for Republicans if Buller can turn voter frustration about affordability into votes. Mannion’s large fundraising advantage and the district’s current partisan lean make him the favorite, but no seat in this region has stayed in one party’s hands for long.
Second, NY-21 is expected to stay red, but Constantino’s anti-establishment style could energize or alienate rural voters in Mohawk Valley communities depending on how he campaigns in the general election.
Third, NY-19, while not centered in Utica directly, touches on issues that resonate deeply here: farm policy, utility costs, rural healthcare, and border security. The Riley versus Oberacker race will be one of the most-watched contests in the entire state.
The general election is November 3, 2026. The voter registration deadline for the general election is October 24, and early voting runs October 24 through November 1.
Every one of these races will be decided by whether voters in communities like Utica, Rome, Oneida, and across the Mohawk Valley show up. Register, verify your registration, and make a plan to vote. The ballot lines have been drawn. The choices belong to you.
For complete and updated election results and voter resources, visit the New York State Board of Elections at elections.ny.gov.
By David LaGuerre | Utica Phoenix | www.uticaphoenix.net
