Note: This is part one of a two-part series. Spectrum News 1 featured a three-part series about Stefanik's rise through the Republican party earlier this month.

Former CIA officer Matt Castelli, a Democrat campaigning for the 21st Congressional District seat, says his middle-of-the-road platform would bring much-needed change in the North Country.

After months of campaigning across the newly drawn Northern New York district spanning 15 counties, the political newcomer hopes he's gaining ground in a Republican stronghold. 

"Our country is on the wrong track," he said. "People are tired of the divisiveness, they're tired of the extremes, they're looking for a moderate — someone who can bring us together and get things done."

Castelli, 41, is also running on a third-party Moderate Party ticket aiming to ease political tension and extremism.

The Poughkeepsie native has his work cut out for him to unseat Rep. Elise Stefanik, who's seeking a fifth term.

Castelli grew up in Poughkeepsie and graduated from Siena College in Albany County shortly after 9/11, which inspired him to work 15 years in apolitical public service. He led intelligence teams in Afghanistan and Iraq to hunt down some of the world's most dangerous terrorists, including the unit that found Osama Bin Laden, and helped track down leaders of Al Qaeda and ISIS. Castelli served as the director for counterterrorism in President Barack Obama's National Security Council, and continued in the role under President Donald Trump.

"It was always about putting country before party, and my record of service reflects that," Castelli said.

Castelli says that's the opposite of what Stefanik has done for the North Country while in office — criticizing her for flip-flopping on issues like initially being against building a wall to secure the southern border, voting to oppose the Pact Act this spring to help veterans exposed to burn pits and voting against a bill protecting access to contraception. Stefanik's voting record, he argues, shows she prioritizes personal interests to climb the career ladder in Washington, D.C.

"Congresswoman Stefanik's support for veterans and military families is well-known and recognized in the district," Stefanik's senior advisor Alex DeGrasse said in a statement Tuesday. "She gets stopped by constituents nearly every day to thank her for her work on behalf of veterans."

Stefanik helped pass the Blue Water Navy bill to support Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, the MISSION Act to provide Veterans Affairs resources and critical reforms to better serve veterans and secured more than $5 million in VA benefits to veterans upstate, DeGrasse said.

"The PACT Act has concerns from multiple organizations that it will cause longer wait times for veterans on top of the already unacceptable wait times," he added.

Stefanik ran as a moderate Republican when first elected in 2014. She quickly rose within the Republican Party after supporting President Donald Trump, and is now the third-ranking member in the House GOP.

She blasts Castelli as being a far-left Democrat from Poughkeepsie who has no ties to the North Country. Castelli returned to the Hudson Valley from D.C. early in the pandemic, moving to Saratoga last year and to Glens Falls a few months ago.

The congresswoman also challenges Castelli's voting record, saying her opponent has never voted in New York since running for Congress.

Representatives with Castelli's campaign say he has voted in three New York state elections since returning upstate after his 15-year career in public service. 

Castelli said he often spent time visiting the North Country while at Siena College and decided to move there after his time in Washington.

"My career of service took me out of upstate New York and after that career of service, I've returned," he said. "This is where I want to make a second phase of life to experience and enjoy the wonderful outdoors that we have... to be close to family and friends."

Castelli holds political stances from both sides of the aisle, and says his past bipartisan experience makes him the ideal moderate voice Congress needs. As a gun owner, he supports the Second Amendment and is against banning assault weapons. 

He says state lawmakers were too quick in passing a law this summer prohibiting legal handguns in certain areas and making it harder to get a concealed carry permit. 

Castelli also supports safe and legal access to abortion and has denounced the 'Defund the Police' movement, saying he will support law enforcement.

"The Defund the Police movement was both absurd and dangerous," he said. "I will call out the far-right as much as I will the far-left."

Castelli wants to address high costs for families by reducing prescription drug costs and making investments in affordable housing and child care. 

He's also for eight-year term limits and banning members of Congress and their families from trading stock.

"Voters can always trust, as someone who has always put their country and community first throughout their career, that I will always put community and voter interest first, even if it means standing up to members of my own party."

Castelli doubled down on that commitment and said if elected, he would not vote to keep Democrat Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. 

"The old guard in Washington is part of this problem... those who would push for party loyalty above all other things," he added. "And I think to address the recognition here that Washington's broken, it's broken because the people having the conversation need to be changed out."

Castelli plans to use his national security experience to address the migrant crisis at the southern border. He proposes an independent commission assess border security and make recommendations for Congress to implement, including immigration reform.

"I, and most of the American people, don't trust any member of either of the political parties to give an honest assessment of how secure the border actually is and what needs to be done," Castelli said. "So let's take it out of their hands."

Stefanik's campaign stressed her record of voting to fund the border wall and increased border patrol, including standing up for Border Patrol officers. The congresswoman has received an endorsement from their union. 

"Congresswoman Stefanik has been endorsed by the Border Patrol union because not only is she leading the Republican Conference in holding the Biden administration accountable for their border crisis," DeGrasse said.

With about six weeks to go before Election Day, Stefanik has $2.6 million on hand in her campaign chest, or six times more than Castelli's roughly $431,000, according to the most recent filings with the Federal Election Commission.

Representatives with the congresswoman's campaign said Stefanik was unavailable for an interview about these issues.