North Country counties report strong turnout in 2026 midterm election
Lewis, Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties reported thousands of ballots cast in the Nov. 3, 2026, election, while absentee and affidavit ballots continued to be counted.
By Jessica Hale, ClickNNY North Country Desk
Voters across Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties cast tens of thousands of ballots in the Nov. 3, 2026, midterm election, with Lewis County reporting more ballots than in the 2024 presidential election. The results remain unofficial while absentee and affidavit ballots are counted.
Lewis County recorded 10,583 votes, compared with 9,744 in 2024. St. Lawrence County reported 35,591 votes. Jefferson County reported 29,072 voters and described the total as the second-highest in county election history.
The congressional race in the 21st District remained close in the county-level results. St. Lawrence County, which is entirely within the district, favored Blake Gendebien over Anthony Constantino, 18,435 votes to 16,215. In the eastern portion of Jefferson County included in the district, Constantino led Gendebien, 2,338 to 1,927. Constantino also led in Lewis County, 6,125 to 3,707.
The 21st District includes all of Lewis and St. Lawrence counties and part of Jefferson County, including Carthage, Antwerp and Oxbow. Gendebien is from Lisbon, while Constantino is the CEO of Sticker Mule and financed his campaign with more than $14 million, according to the research brief. President Trump endorsed Constantino. The seat was open after six-term Republican U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik held it.
The Cook Political Report shifted its rating of the district from likely Republican to lean Republican in October. A Siena College poll conducted with WAMC showed Gendebien leading by four percentage points. The district had 215,012 enrolled Republicans and 133,688 enrolled Democrats as of February 2026, according to the Daily Gazette.
Absentee and affidavit ballots were still being counted. County boards of elections have 25 days to complete the count and certify the results.
Unofficial results and updates are available through the Lewis County Board of Elections, Jefferson County's general election page, the St. Lawrence County Board of Elections, and the New York State Board of Elections.
Reported by ClickNNY and reviewed by an editor before publication.
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