Constantino Ducks Fourth Debate, Now Forced to Takedown His Ad

Constantino continues to hide from debates and now was caught lying in his TV ad including a fake Times Union quote pulled from airwaves

GLOVERSVILLE, New York (May 7, 2026) — Forty-seven days until the primary election and Anthony Constantino still hasn’t accepted a debate with his opponent, Republican and Conservative Party-endorsed candidate Robert Smullen.

Constantino turned down a debate co-hosted by Channel 7 in Watertown and Channel 3 in Plattsburgh. He turned down a debate hosted by 100.7 FM in Utica. He turned down a debate hosted by the Daily Gazette in Schenectady County. And now he has refused a televised debate on CBS6 in Albany. Robert Smullen accepted all four invitations. 

This is the same Anthony Constantino who called Robert Smullen a "f*cking coward."

Who's the coward now?

"I accepted every single debate invitation because the voters of NY-21 deserve to hear from the candidates who want to represent them in Congress," said Smullen. "Anthony Constantino has refused every single one. He can spend millions on television ads, but he won't stand on a stage and defend his record or his ideas. If he wants to run for Congress, he needs to meet with and speak to voters through a debate and be accountable for his statements and actions. To refuse is the move of a coward and a wimp."

And accountability is exactly what Constantino has been running from — on more than just the debate stage.

Constantino Forced to Pull Down His False Ad

This week, the Times Union reported that Constantino's campaign fabricated a quote and falsely attributed it to the newspaper in a paid television advertisement. The ad claimed the Times Union had declared that Constantino is "guaranteed to be a major entity in Congress." That line was never written or published by the paper. Times Union editor Casey Seiler confronted the campaign, and Constantino's spokesman admitted the quote was inaccurate. The ad continued to run on television stations across the region even after that admission — and has only now been pulled from the airwaves.

This wasn't a gray area. It wasn't a matter of interpretation. Constantino's campaign invented a quote, stamped a newspaper's name and logo on it, and broadcast it to voters across the district as if it were real. The fact that the ads have now been taken down doesn't erase what happened — it confirms what voters across NY-21 have long suspected: Anthony Constantino has a serious problem with truth, accountability, and ethics. If he's willing to fabricate a newspaper endorsement to win a primary, voters should ask themselves what else he's willing to fabricate.

“Truth is not Anthony Constantino’s strength. He lies every opportunity he gets. This yet again proves he is unfit for office,” Smullen added.

Robert Smullen is the endorsed candidate of the New York State Republican Party, the New York State Conservative Party, 12 of 15 local GOP county committees, 6 Conservative county committees, the Teamsters, the New York State Troopers PBA, and the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association. He is a retired Marine Colonel, a Trump appointee to the President's Commission on White House Fellows, and the frontrunner in this race by every credible measure.

Anthony Constantino is a first-time candidate with no public service record, an active FEC complaint, and a campaign that got caught putting fabricated quotes in paid television ads. He won't debate. He won't tell the truth. And he won't face the voters.

One candidate shows up. The other one hides.