Constantino Called Retired Marine Corps Colonel Robert Smullen a “F*cking Coward” – Now He’s Hiding From Debates
GLOVERSVILLE, New York (May 5, 2026) – Anthony Constantino, the lifelong registered Democrat in New York's 21st Congressional District Republican primary, once had the nerve to call Robert Smullen – a retired Marine Corps colonel who did three combat tours in Afghanistan – a "f*cking coward." Now, with four separate debate invitations sitting unanswered or rejected, voters across NY-21 are left to decide for themselves who the real coward is.
Constantino has declined or failed to confirm participation in the following debates:
- A joint debate co-hosted by WWNY-TV (Channel 7, Watertown) and WCAX-TV (Channel 3, Plattsburgh);
- A debate hosted by 100.7 FM in Utica;
- A debate hosted by The Daily Gazette in Schenectady County; and
- A debate hosted by CBS6 in Albany — which Constantino has not yet confirmed.
Four debates. Four opportunities to stand before the voters of this district and make the case for why he deserves their trust. Four times Anthony Constantino chose to hide.
Robert Smullen has accepted every invitation. And if Constantino lacks the backbone to show up, Smullen will take the stage anyway — podium, moderator, and all — and answer for himself what his opponent refuses to.
"Anthony Constantino called me a ‘f*cking coward.’ But I've accepted four debate invitations he's run away from,” Smullen said. “The voters of NY-21 deserve a real conversation about the issues that matter to their families, their farms, and their future — not a checkbook candidate hiding from scrutiny. I'll be at every debate. I'll even stand across from an empty podium if that's what it takes. The only question is whether Anthony Constantino has enough respect for the people of New York’s 21st Congressional District to show up. I have one question for Anthony Constantino: who’s the coward now?"
Smullen enters the June 23 primary as the clear frontrunner, having earned the endorsements of the New York State Republican Party, the New York State Conservative Party, 12 of 15 county Republican committees across the district, 6 Conservative Party county committees, the Teamsters, the New York State Troopers PBA, and the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association.
A retired Marine Corps Colonel and current New York State Assemblyman, Smullen has spent his career serving the constituents of this region – in uniform and in office. Constantino, a first-time candidate who has never held elected office, is currently the subject of an FEC complaint for using his campaign account to prop up his business to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Republicans across NY-21 deserve to hear from their candidates — from Plattsburgh to Johnstown, from Oneida County to Washington County. One candidate is ready. The other is hiding.
