‘Moderate’ Dem Blake Gendebien teams with anti-ICE leftist Micah Lasher in campaign fundraiser for Stefanik’s NY-21 seat

GOP candidate Constantino shared the flyer for the event so voters would know that while they may think they're voting for a moderate Democrat, they'd really be backing someone who is teamed up with the far-left. Constantino said in a post to Instagram, "Days before the election, NY-21 Democrat Blake Gendebien is once again going to New York City for a fundraiser with LEFTIST hosts who want to DEFUND THE POLICE. He is already blatantly selling us out to line his own pockets. Corrupt!"

Lasher has called for the release of Oscar Bergal, the criminal illegal immigrant that was shot and injured by ICE. The Department of Homeland Security has said that Bergal was accelerating his vehicle and had crashed his car into federal vehicles at the time of the shooting. Lasher, who was elected to the state assembly in 2024, was in Foley Square when he made the comments in a video post to social media.

"I'm here down in Foley Square with so many New Yorkers who are appalled and horrified by the shooting of Oscar [Bergal] by ICE agents last night in Marble Hill. We're here to call for Oscar's immediate release, the release of all evidence and footage of the shooting, a full and independent investigation by the New York State Attorney General of this incident and getting ICE out of New York and abolishing ICE once and for all," he said.

Despite the far-left policy of abolishing ICE and calling for the release of an illegal immigrant with a criminal record, Gendebien—even though he has campaigned a "moderate"—appeared comfortable having Lasher co-host the fundraiser.

On October 8, an ICE officer shot Bergal, a 28-year-old man from the Dominican Republic, during an arrest attempt in Marble Hill, Manhattan. DHS has said that Bergal was the target of a Homeland Security Investigations probe and has ties to the Trinitarios gang and is connected to another shooting.

“Bergal refused lawful orders to exit his vehicle. He then accelerated his vehicle smashing into two of our ICE vehicles. He then weaponized his vehicle and proceeded to accelerate his vehicle toward other officers,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Executive Associate Director Marcos Charles at the time of the arrest and shooting. After he was shot, Bergal was treated at a local medical center.

Per 7 News, one of the latest polls from the Siena Research Institute showed that Gendebien was up 46 to 42 percent among likely voters in the district.