New York’s 21st Congressional District is one of the largest geographically in the Eastern United States.

This primarily Republican district encompasses Clinton, Franklin, St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Lewis, Hamilton, Essex, Warren, Washington, Fulton and parts of Saratoga and Herkimer counties, stretching all the way up to the Canadian border.

Democrat Bill Owens briefly represented the district from 2009 to 2014. After that, Owens decided not to seek re-election.

Then Republican candidate, Elise Stefanik, ran for the 21^st District seat in 2014 and won, becoming the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.  

“I am proud to have the top 5% most bipartisan record in the entire United States Congress,” Congresswoman Stefanik explained. “I think that’s why we’ve won by double digits in each election, in all of my re-elections.”

Her Democratic opponent, Tedra Cobb, ran against Stefanik in 2018 and lost, but says this year is different.

With President Donald Trump’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic taking a forefront in this election, she says it is evident the president’s policies do not work for the North Country. 

“Thirty-eight million people are unemployed, 9 million people have been infected and by the way that’s a pre-existing condition,” Cobb emphasized. “And now we know this president lied to us about how dangerous this virus is and Elise Stefanik continues to defend the president.”

Cobb served as a St. Lawrence County Legislator for eight years.

Her campaign gained national attention during President Trump’s impeachment trial, and she raised more than $1 million in a little over three days.

Cobb says her main objective in this race is protecting health care. 

During her first run, Cobb supported single-payer health care, but this time around she says she supports a Medicare Public Option Plan. 

“A Medicare public option allows people to buy into Medicare, if they choose and it allows people to keep the insurance that they have if they like it and if they choose,” Cobb said. “It is really about choice. It’s also about competition.”

Stefanik, who also serves as a member of President Trump’s re-election campaign, has fiercely defended the president’s handling of the coronavirus.

She has also in the past voted to overturn the Affordable Care Act, but says she supports replacing it with a health care plan that will still cover pre-existing conditions.

“I want to see a patient centered healthcare and more choices when it comes to health care plans,” Stefanik said. “So I support allowing people to purchase plans across state lines giving them choices and helping to lower costs. I also want to make it easier for small businesses to have affordable health care plans for their employees.”

Looking to the future, Stefanik says she is most proud of the work she has done to support the military community. 

“I am most proud of the National Defense Authorization Act, which is the key and the only bill that gets passed out of the House Armed Services Committee,” Stefanik explained.

And Cobb says if elected she will work to create more environmental protections. 

“The environment is clearly crucially important,” Cobb defended. “I believe in science-based decision-making. We need to pass the Scientific Integrity Act.”

To learn more about where each candidate stands on the issues, visit Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s campaign website, or Tedra Cobb’s campaign website.