Republican New York state Senator Dan Stec is officially running to replace Elise Stefanik in Congress. Stec’s sprawling 45th district includes much of northern New York and overlaps with Stefanik’s 21st House District.
Stefanik, who has been serving since 2015, is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to serve as Ambassador to the United Nations.
If approved, Stefanik’s exit will set the stage for a special election sometime in the spring, with candidates chosen by the local parties.
Stec, a former New York State Assemblymember, former Queensbury town supervisor, and Navy veteran, spoke with WAMC’s Lucas Willard about his run for the North Country Congressional seat.
People you know on the Republican side that have been interested have been reaching out and visiting county chairs. I've done that. I've met with all 15 county chairs, as well as talking to, you know, Conservative Party chairs, and you know, other people that are interested in this process so that that's occurring now. Some point next, you know, next year, when we get closer to Inauguration Day, the process will probably start to get a little more formal. Will there be, you know, interviews and meetings with groups of chairs to, again, ultimately settle on a candidate to move forward in January. So, you know, that's what I've been doing right now. The feedback I've gotten has been very positive. You know, everyone's kind of holding back and playing close to the vest, because it's, you know, it's still early, and, you know, they need to have conversations with each other and do their own analysis. But you know, I mean, as far as the meetings that I've had, they've gone well. People seem to respect and appreciate the work that I've done so far, politically, you know, my resume, what I've done, you know, being a naval officer and being born and raised in the district, and you know, being a prudent vote getter on Election Day. 14e lections, 14-0, 104,000 votes last month in the election and my entire senate district rests within the congressional district, so I have a tremendous advantage there. And so that's been resonating well with people. But, you know, the voters and the media have had a chance for many years now to vet me and kick the, you know, kick the tires on me, so to speak. And so I think they know how I how I operate, you know, you know, and I do my best to just represent the will and the and the priorities and the and the values of the people that are my constituents. So, when it's going well, and we'll know more. You know probably a month from now, is when we'll really start to gel.
Now, speaking of your your resume, Senator, what do you think you can bring to the table? Obviously, you'd mentioned your your military experience, but also you have local government experience, state legislative experience. What do you want to and what can you bring to the table in Congress, right?
Right. And those are things that are unique to me. You know, as far as no one, no one has that combination of lengthy experience in local government, 12 years in the state legislature, in both houses, and you know, my military service, and I do think, given that New York 21 has the most veterans of any congressional district in the state. You know, a veteran representative is a plus as well, somebody that's familiar with what it means to be in the service means to deploy overseas. I served in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm, and appreciate what the families go through, and, you know, the stress and the strain, and, you know, operating a household when you're when your spouse is overseas. You know, I think that there's value in that somebody that respects veteran service, and, you know, knows, knows what veterans are concerned about. So, I think that combination is unique for me. But I have an engineering degree. I think I'm the only engineer in the state legislature right now. So, you know, you know, our legislators are supposed to be cross sections of America. I think a diversity of background is important there. So my degree from Clarkson University and my time in the Navy's nuclear power program, I have an appreciation for energy policy. And you know, the direction that we should be going there, making sure that energy is affordable, you know. And you know, balancing the need, should it be a good, responsive, environmentally policy wise, but at the same time, the realities of we need reliable, sustainable and affordable energy for our economy, for our people. So, you know, I think that the background that I have there makes me a, you know, a unique fit here for, you know, for running for this office.
So under a new Republican majority, with the Republican takeover of Washington, what priorities from the 21st district, do you think you'll be able to secure and advocate for successfully in Washington if elected?
Sure, well, and again, one of the one of the things areas that the state work overlaps with federal work is the fact that my Senate district and the congressional district as well abut the Canadian border. So, the illegal immigration issues that we're seeing in the Swanton sector, and I've gotten tours of the border from both local and federal enforcement as well as briefings from border patrol over the years. You know, I can tell you that the Swanton sector, by far, is the most illegally crossed part of our Canadian border that in the last few years. And you know, the reason for that is the land connection that we have there. Unlike the Great Lakes or the St Lawrence River, you know, you've got all these major airports in Canada that are just north of New York. And you know, it's the path, you know, of least resistance, really, for people to float into New York. The role that New York government and. Policies have played in that, you know, becoming a magnet for illegal immigration, rewarding people with free money, free housing, free health care, free phones, debit cards in New York City. And you know, in the last couple years, four and a half billion dollars from New York state taxpayers have gone in New York City to support their illegal immigration policies. The Green Light Law that allows illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses. And then what goes with that is also a prohibition from from local and state law enforcement, from coordinating with the federal partners on the border. That's something that I've been dealing with at the state level. And obviously, you know, because it's an international border, you know, it's really a federal responsibility as well. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle in Albany want to blame all this, you know, the responsibility for fixing the border issues on Congress and and on the feds. But again, it's a lot of New York policies that have led to this problem here as well. So, you know, I think bringing that perspective and insight that, hey, I represent a border district in the state legislature. That's going to, you know, specific to New York-21 but obviously, you know, bigger picture, not just New York-21 issues, but national issues. We've got an economic problem. We've got an inflation problem, you know, which comes from a lot of spending in the in the federal level, comes from energy policy that's driven the cost of transportation of goods and services through the roof, so, you know, but that's not unique to New York-21 but you know, certainly the border is a main concern. And then obviously, you know, crime is a problem everywhere, and you're just having, you know, common sensical America-first kind of approach to dealing with criminal behavior, dealing with illegal immigration, national defense, our role in the world. Again, having served, you know, I remember being in in, you know, in the Navy, and when they were talking about the potential of a 600 ship Navy, you know, and now we're, you know, we're barely 300 ships. Not necessarily saying we need to build more, but you know, just knowing that, 'Hey, the role that we play, and it's a dangerous world, and weakness is provocative and a strong us, you know, you know, is good for overall world stability and world peace.' So, you know, I think President Trump is on the right track there. But really, it's about, you know, respecting the will of the voters. You know, voters nationally spoke loud and clear last month. They want this agenda. It's an agenda that you know, that I support. It's a perspective that I've had my whole life that absolutely is the responsibility of our federal government is to put America first. That doesn't mean that we can't be good neighbor, but we need to take care of our own needs first. And every other country on the planet seems to have that view, you know, so I don't think we should be apologetic for having that view ourselves. But you know, we're a force for good, sure, but you know, we need to make sure that we're taking care of our own needs first. Can't help others if you can't help yourself. So, you know, that's a perspective that I think that the voter voted for, and I'm going to continue that, basically a continuation of the work that I've done in Albany.
So, going off of that, Congresswoman Stefanik became a national figure after and by embracing the MAGA movement and the MAGA label, and she initially ran and was elected as a moderate Republican. What do you think of the MAGA label now in 2024 going into 2025 Do you consider yourself a MAGA Republican?
Well, you know? I mean, everyone likes to put labels on people, and labels mean different things for different people. But you know? I mean, if being a MAGA Republican means that you know the will of the voter and and the the desire to put America first and look for our own interests first. You know, is my my opinion or my belief? It is. And, you know, you know, I have my own style, as far as my approach. You know, some people are, you know, are a little more aggressive, I guess, than others. There's a time and a place for that, in my opinion. But you know, I mean, everyone has their own approach for how do I deliver a message? How do I get the job done? And, you know, but my approach is that the people voted for this. This is our value system. They've elected people like myself in the Senate and Congresswoman Stefanik and Congress here in the North Country. And, you know, so I know the electorate and very similar belief system. And you know, their priorities are priorities that I share. And you know, I'll bring that forward. You know, with me to to Washington to make sure that you know that the agenda that the people voted for is the agenda that we pursue down in Washington.
Do you have a message as you're jumping onto the campaign trail here for voters in the past who may not have voted for you, either at the local level or at the state legislative level.
Well, I mean, no message, you know, it's early at the we haven't had a we're not in the campaign phase. We're not the candidate until the chairs select the candidate. You know, I'm not necessarily worried about trying to convince a voter or sway a voter today. You know, I'm the same person today that I was when I first ran for local office in Queensbury, 25 years ago, my hometown. You know, but being born and raised in this district and and having lived my whole 55 years as a resident of this district, with the sole exception of my eight years that I served on active duty in the United States Navy, you know, I certainly know the North Country. I know the district. But more importantly, because I've been elected official for 25 years, 12 in the legislature, the district knows me. You know whether or not they they like how I vote, or they like my perspective, or they like my party. You know, I mean, no one wins unanimously on election day. I'm fine with that. I embrace that part of our of our republic and our representative democracy. But, um, you know, no, it's premature to start, you know, saying, hey, individual voters, there's a time and a place for that, and there'll be a 70 to 80 day window from when the governor picks a special election to make that case. But, again, I've been making that case to voters in the state legislature for 12 years now. So you know, the voters I think, have an idea who I am. And you know, for the ones that don't yet or the ones in the new part of the district that I haven't represented, if I'm the candidate, they'll get a chance to know me too.
And Senator Stec, looking at Congress right now, there's a lot of discussion around Mike Johnson as house speaker. If elected, do you want to see Mike Johnson remain house speaker?
Well, you know, I mean, I haven't set foot in the, in the in the House chamber yet. I'm not elected member of Congress. You know, I'm still doing my Senate job, and I will be unless I'm elected to Congress. You know, I think it's so. I think it's it would be premature for me to start opining on leadership in the House of Representatives that I'm not a member of. I haven't met speaker Johnson. So, you know, I, like I said, I don't think it'd be responsible for me to say whether or not, you know I should, you know, he should continue on the speaker. That decision is going to be made here in another week. And you know, whatever the caucus and the conference and, ultimately, the house decide, that's going to be the way it is. And I'll be fine with that.
Now, zooming back in on New York and looking at your state legislative role here and in the past few days. But is there anything that you are particularly proud of during the past legislative session that has become law, or something that you were disappointed didn't make it over the finish line?
Well, I'm disappointed on how tone deaf I think my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are when it comes to things like taxation, regulation, energy policy, certainly criminal justice and illegal immigration. You know, the exciting and controversial stuff that gets voted on in Albany is generally rammed through on a party line, or largely party line vote by one party control in Albany. And so I have more to complain about or be concerned about than to praise, but I'm proud of the work that I've done in that, you know, I do the best I can to represent the people that have sent me to Albany, to be their voice, to express their frustrations and their concerns and their priorities. And again, you know the thing is, is that when half the legislature is from New York City and they're focused on, you know, on doing things for law breakers and doing things for illegal immigrants at the expense of people that are trying to make ends meet in the rest of the state, you know that that concerns me, and I'll continue to fight for, you know, the priorities that I think that that people that elected me Want me to.
