Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino was inspired by Elon Musk to run for Congress

Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino is better known for erecting a giant sign over his novelty supply company’s Amsterdam headquarters than he is for policy ideas, but he’s hoping to change that with a campaign for outgoing Rep. Elsie Stefanik’s North Country seat in the 21st Congressional District. The vocal and viral Trump supporter has millions waiting to be spent in a campaign account and is now going on a charm tour of the North Country GOP’s bigwigs, who are slated to spend the next few months deliberating over who the best Republican is to take up Stefanik’s mantle. Stefanik has yet to endorse any candidates in the race, though, and it’s understood that her voice will weigh heavily in the race. 

Constantino spoke with City & State last month about his admiration for President-elect Donald Trump, his diverse interests – he’s a boxer and rapper with close ties to the furry community – and what his political future might hold. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

What made you want to throw your hat in the ring?

Time is finite. You want to use it to work on the most impactful things that you can work on. That's how I conduct myself in business, and then, you know, as a citizen. For eight years, I’ve been a supporter of President Trump, more of a silent supporter, but I'm going to support President Trump because I want more talented people in government. I look at who's available to (run for Stefanik’s seat), and I think I'm probably the most talented person available. It wasn't a lifelong ambition. It’s just a situation that's available, and I think I'm the best person for it.

Between maintaining a military base, a vibrant farming community and the environment, when it comes to delivering policies for North Country constituents, what are the things you would want to do if you got into office? 

I understand the biggest problem in New York state is that people are leaving, and it's really simple, like everything boils down to people. When you have a state where people are leaving, it's very hard to fix the problems that are here. People are like the solution to, really, all of our problems, because people create businesses, but they also work in businesses. And they also are customers. 

I'm also very familiar with the needs of all of the districts. I lived here my whole life. There's a lot of farmers here. A lot of my employees have farming backgrounds. I became friends with even more farmers along the way. So I have a great relationship with that community. I'm going to continue learning very quickly but already put out a statement (last month) on farmland solar and some of the issues with that. I think farmers should be free to do what they think makes the most sense with their land. But as a New York state politician, it's my job to make sure the government's using their resources wisely and supporting their constituents wisely.

Are you concerned about Trump’s plans to round up and deport immigrants, especially since farmers in the North Country rely on immigrants for labor?

I'm the most interesting candidate by far on the immigration issue. I lived for a number of years in Mexico. I speak Spanish fluently. I actually boxed professionally in Mexico. I understand the situation at the borders better than anyone. I was actually in Mexico when President Trump vacated the White House, and I saw what happened to Mexico. The situation really hasn't been good for anyone with letting millions of illegals, encouraging millions of people to come here illegally. 

What people sometimes don't understand is that when we market (the prospect of a better life in the U.S.), the people that come here – it's not the whole family. It's not mom and dad and grandma and grandpa. Generally, it's the kids. And when they came, they were getting asylum. Everybody who wanted asylum is getting asylum, and when you get it, you get stuck here, and you end up getting separated from your family. 

In many cases, the situation on the north border is worse because people are leaving Canada to escape poverty. Usually, the situation on the southern border is that people are coming here to pursue a better life. Sometimes, that happens. Sometimes, in many cases, it doesn't. You know, they come here to get separated from their families. If things don't go well for them, they're fighting for jobs with American workers, and it's not good for them, and it's not good for families.

How do you plan to convince the local party heads in the country that you're the right man for the job to win this special election?

I've been meeting with them all one by one. So far, they've been very supportive of me. I've already spoken to almost all of them by phone. I'm gonna continue meeting with them. Many are very receptive, and so far, everything is going well. 

Many of the other potential replacements for Stefanik are more established politicians. You don't necessarily have that track record in government. What kinds of questions are the party chairs asking you?

They've been, a lot of them, advice-givers, helping me learn and understanding my track record. I've been successful at a number of different things. The interesting thing about me is I'm not just a successful business person. My track record as an investor is really good. My track record as a boxer is very good. 

I sort of became politically active the day President Trump got shot. I had no political advisors, no ties to the campaign, nothing. And I was very effective at getting a positive message out for President Trump for three months. So I think people have seen that I'm talented. I'm good at most things I do, and I'll be good at this. That's part of it. I'm a fast learner. I listen to everybody, and that's how I get good at things. 

In the event that you aren't chosen for this special election, are you definitely planning to primary whoever is chosen?

Sure. I mean, the great thing about me is that I've already put $2.6 million in a campaign account. Thank you to Elon Musk. I looked at what number I can put in the campaign account. I looked at the fact I put a million dollar investment on Tesla when Elon bought Twitter for the impacts and to save free speech. That appreciated $3.6 million. I want to say thank you to Elon Musk, who also was a business person, non-political person, being politically active recently, trying to steer this country in the right direction. So I want to give him a little credit for helping my campaign. I'm the only one that's gonna be self-funding. Everyone else is gonna raise money. I'm not gonna drain party resources. If anything, I will grow party resources. I'll probably pursue the seat in 2026, but I strongly suspect they will take me as a candidate. Right now, it makes a lot of sense.

What's your relationship like with Elise Stefanik and Trump’s inner circle?

You know, Elise called me. I had a great call with her. She was very supportive. I had built a friendship with Roger Stone, who was one of the first people to say he would do everything he can to support me. He's been very supportive. I've been a Mar-a-Lago member since 2020. Never gone until recently. I went there, and I got to see the president very briefly. Also got a nice thank you letter from the president during the campaign. He called me. The president was very appreciative of all my efforts, and really, you know, he was very happy to see the New York Times article.

I saw that you have been both supportive of and embraced by the furry community. Are there any concerns that Republicans would get kind of squirrely about that? 

I get along with everybody. I just did a song with one of my friends, one of the strongest pro-Trump rappers and one of the hottest rappers in New York state right now. I got friends within all communities and people of all different backgrounds. That's why I realized that the hate that’s directed at Trump supporters isn't based in reality. Trump supporters come from all different backgrounds. There are tons of Trump supporters in Mexico. There are some supporters in all different communities. There's even some supporters in the furry community. I like people that conduct themselves respectfully and treat other people with respect. Doesn't matter what community they're involved in; as long as you treat other people with respect, you’re fine with me.

As a politician, how would you try to draw more attention to upstate issues?

First of all, I got a very exciting company in upstate New York. As soon as I put the sign on top of my building, Democrats went nuts complaining about the sign. I told them they're totally wrong to be upset about it, because I said what I'm doing is good for upstate New York and getting us attention. That's something we desperately need. People can't think to live in a place like upstate New York because it’s not even on their mind. And so (Florida) Gov. (Ron) DeSantis did a great job during the COVID pandemic point putting Florida on their mind. People went there like crazy, because people just heard “Florida, Florida, Florida” all the time. Make New York – upstate New York, District 21 – a place that people are hearing about a lot, and I think that's going to help with people wanting to come back here. They're going to hear about it and care about it.