ALBANY — U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik’s front-and-center role in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump has catapulted the race for her 21st Congressional District into the national limelight.

Among those discussing Stefanik, a Republican, and her Democratic opponent Tedra Cobb: Trump, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, model Chrissy Teigen and actor Zach Braff.

Since public impeachment hearings began Wednesday, both candidates have surged on social media and capitalized on their newfound stardom to solicit donations. Both Stefanik and Cobb now boast more than 200,000 Twitter followers — an incredible jump for each of them, who had roughly 45,000 and 4,000 followers, respectively, on Wednesday.

Not to mention: Cobb is reporting $1 million in donations in just three days, with donors spanning the country and including Hollywood stars. Stefanik’s team declined to provide this weekend’s fundraising totals, but the Congresswoman has tweeted the link to her fundraising page eight times on her personal account since Friday.

As Brian Mann of North Country Public Radio put it: The North Country is “having a moment.”

The weekend-long drama gained traction Friday as Stefanik took on a high-profile role during the House Intelligence Committee's questioning of Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Stefanik repeatedly clashed with Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, throughout the day, saying minutes after the hearing started: “We know clearly you're going to interrupt us throughout this hearing.”

Later, Stefanik was again the epicenter of the hearing when Ranking Member Devin Nunes, a California Republican, attempted to yield time to Stefanik during a portion of the proceeding when only Schiff, Nunes and each side’s counsel were allowed to ask questions. Schiff denied the attempt, Stefanik protested and Nunes accused the chairman of "gagging the young lady from New York.”

The moment elicited sharply partisan responses: Republicans cheered Stefanik in what they saw as the equivalent of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s “nevertheless, she persisted” moment two years ago, when Republicans invoked a rarely used rule to shut down Warren as she criticized then-attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions. Meanwhile, Democrats lambasted Stefanik, accusing her of purposefully breaking rules for political theatre — and, quickly, donations to Cobb's campaign became a rallying cry against the GOP.

Now, Stefanik is tweeting to an audience of 200,000, and Cobb to 230,000. The race has pushed both candidates to the center of national politics.

“I am overwhelmed by the amount of energy behind this campaign,” Cobb said in a statement to the Times Union Sunday. “This incredible grassroots support will ensure we have the resources to make sure voters know the difference between me and Elise Stefanik.”

Cobb lauded her experience as a volunteer firefighter, the leader of a community health agency and as a county legislator. Stefanik, she said, “has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from big corporations and votes their way."

The race between Stefanik and Cobb is a rematch of 2018, when Stefanik handily beat Cobb, a former two-term St. Lawrence County legislator.

"Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is overwhelmed by the unbelievable support from the district and across the country as she focuses on the truth in the impeachment hearings," said Lenny Alcivar, a spokesman for Stefanik's re-election campaign. "Our campaign has never been in a stronger position as we are today. We absolutely look forward to running against the #1 pro impeachment candidate that the North Country knows well: Taxin' Tedra Cobb.”

Stefanik’s profile was further escalated Sunday by an early-morning tweet from the president.

“A new Republican Star is born,” Trump commented on a clip of the Congresswoman questioning Yovanovitch. “Great going @EliseStefanik!"

His tweet only added to the growing pile of federal lawmakers and celebrities who have tweeted about the candidates. Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley tweeted Saturday, “Liberals are pro women until we say or think something they don’t like then the name calling begins. @RepStefanik, keep up the great fight. We have your back.”

(Stefanik maintains two Twitter accounts; her personal account, @EliseStefanik, reached 200,000 followers Sunday. Her congressional account, @RepStefanik, also surged in popularity this weekend, hitting 100,000 followers, up from about 40,000 Wednesday.)

On the other side of the aisle, Cobb has emerged as a symbol of resistance for some of the most prominent Trump critics on Twitter. Actor Mark Hamill tweeted Sunday: "Hello New Yorkers living in #NY21! You can all support a great candidate like @TedraCobb AND help @EliseStefanik spend more time being a #TrumpToady on Fox "News"- It would be a #WinWin for America! Thanks for your consideration, mh".

Actor George Takei also threw his hat in the ring: "Let’s do this, friends. For the price of a latte you can help us never have to see Elise Stefanik’s face in Congress again. Follow @TedraCobb and donate to her campaign. Send a message loud and clear to the Forever Trumpers: We will come for you."

Much of the new attention to NY-21 came Saturday after George Conway, the husband of Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, tweeted a screenshot of his $2,800 donation to Cobb. He also circulated and later deleted a fake photo of Stefanik at the hearing, which had been Photoshopped to feature a hand sticking up the middle finger.

Conway called Stefanik “trash,” prompting a fierce response from the Congresswoman: “The one thing I’ve NEVER been called in my life is TRASH. You need serious help. My opponent Taxin’ Tedra can have your sick mysogynist [sic] support.”

Model Chrissy Teigen then jumped in: “really? I’ve called you trash before.” She, and other celebrities, tweeted that they had donated to Cobb’s campaign and criticized Stefanik’s performance during Yovanovitch’s testimony.

Members of Stefanik’s re-election campaign and congressional staff, as well as many of her local and national supporters, jumped to her defense after the fake photo circulated and the hashtag #TrashyStefanik started making rounds online. In response to a request for comment from the Times Union, two Stefanik spokespeople deferred to local GOP committee chairmen.

“Despite the disgusting left-wing attacks launched at her, voters in the North Country know that Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is fighting for us, the truth and transparency in Washington,” Saratoga County Republican Committee Chairman Carl Zeilman said. “We are looking forward to seeing her re-elected once again overwhelmingly next election.”

In recent weeks, Stefanik has ramped up attacks against Cobb — who, in Trump fashion, she calls “Taxin’ Tedra” on Twitter — as the House pursues its impeachment inquiry. Stefanik told reporters last month that Cobb is a “very weak opponent.”

So far this cycle, Stefanik has easily out-fundraised Cobb, though Cobb has claimed more in-district donors. Stefanik ended the third quarter in September with almost $1.3 million in her campaign fund, compared to $500,000 for her Democratic opponent.

Cobb's campaign announced that she hit $1 million in donations around 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Over the past month, her profile has been viewed more than 1 million times, and her tweets have garnered 1.89 million impressions, according to Twitter analytics provided by her campaign team. Stefanik's team declined to provide those statistics.

Stefanik has been a staunch opponent of the impeachment inquiry, telling reporters in Washington, D.C. Friday that "nothing rises to the level of impeachable offenses. This is wishful political thinking by the Democrats."

Cobb hasn't taken a firm stance on impeachment, but she has said she would have voted 'yes' to launch a probe. "This is a serious issue and we must see what we learn from public testimony. I do not agree with jumping to conclusions at this point," Cobb said last month.