Republican congressional candidate Robert Smullen personally loaned his campaign $500,000 as he launched his primary campaign against self-funding candidate Anthony Constantino.

Constantino, an Amsterdam businessman who lives in Edinburg, Saratoga County, has personally loaned his campaign $7.26 million.

Smullen, a four-term state Assemblymember from Johnstown, and Constantino are seeking the Republican nomination for the open seat in the 21st Congressional District where six-term incumbent Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, is not seeking reelection.

Aside from the $500,000, Smullen also received $13,122 in contributions in the fourth quarter, including $500 from former Rep. John Faso, R-Kinderhook.

Smullen had $494,655 in his campaign fund as of Dec. 31 and Constantino $5.05 million.

Among Democratic candidates, Blake Gendebien, a farmer from Lisbon, St. Lawrence County, had $2.21 million in his campaign fund as of Dec. 31, and Dylan Hewitt, a former White House trade advisor from Glens Falls, had $119,936.

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Republicans

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Constantino on Monday issued a press release accusing Smullen of misleading voters when Smullen announced Nov. 24 that his campaign had raised more than $500,000 in the first four days of his campaign without specifying that $500,000 was a personal loan from Smullen.

Smullen’s campaign had not returned a request to comment for this report as of deadline.

He has repeatedly accused Constantino of attempting to “buy an election.”

Constantino has said he is not seeking campaign contributions so that he can be free of special interests.

In theory, Smullen’s fundraising should improve as he gains endorsements from county Republican committees, effectively freeing up committee members to contribute to his campaign. He has announced endorsements from Republican committees in Franklin, Essex, Warren, Hamilton and Herkimer counties.

Smullen also has announced endorsements from the Warren County Conservative Committee and the New York Rifle and Pistol Association.

Constantino has not announced endorsements from any county Republican committees so far.

Constantino, running as an anti-establishment candidate, has threatened, at least twice, that if elected, he will retaliate against Republican committee members who support Smullen.

“Somehow, all these party insiders are lining up behind him. … I’m going to embarrass them badly. We’re going to send them to something called training, where they learn to be patriotic and work on behalf of the citizens instead of working on behalf of their friends,” he most recently said in a campaign video posted Jan. 29 on Facebook.

Smullen spent $18,467 on his campaign in the fourth quarter, more than one-third of which was for communications consulting.

Canstantino spent $376,150 on his campaign in the fourth quarter, including $5,000 for advertising in The Jewish Voice, a Brooklyn newspaper, bringing his spending in the election cycle to date to $2.55 million as of Dec. 31.

Other spending included digital media production and placement; Facebook, Google and radio advertising; strategy consulting; and direct mail.

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Democrats

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Among Democrats, Gendebien spent $253,077 in the fourth quarter, bringing his total spending in the campaign cycle so far to $2.11 million, almost as much as Constantino.

Spending in the fourth quarter included text messaging, campaign staff salaries, digital consulting and communications consulting.

Hewitt spent $72,769 in the fourth quarter, bringing his total spending so far to $183,775 as of Dec. 31.

Spending included text messaging, digital consulting and commissions to a digital solicitation firm.

Gendebien raised $382,619 in the fourth quarter, bringing the total raised so far to $4.31 million as of Dec. 31.

Hewitt raised $55,139 in the fourth quarter, bringing the total raised so far to $303,711 as of Dec. 31.

Two other Democratic candidates, Stuart Amoriell, a restaurant owner in Lake Placid, and Malon Haller, a snow removal laborer and political activist from Amsterdam, both said they had not reached the $5,000 threshold, which requires filing a report, as of Dec. 31.

Stefanik, who is not seeking re-election, had $11.34 million in her congressional campaign fund as of Dec. 31.