Ahead of the midterm elections, a Republican candidate running in a district that President Donald Trump carried by double digits is planning to donate his entire congressional salary to the family of a wounded Marine veteran.
Anthony Constantino, who is favored to keep Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R., N.Y.) seat in GOP hands, will donate his entire $174,000 congressional salary to the family of wounded Marine veteran Sgt. Eddie Ryan, he exclusively told the Washington Reporter.
In an earlier interview with the Reporter, Constantino explained how he is leaning on his success in business, running Sticker Mule, to entirely self-fund his campaign for Congress. Now, with his pledge to donate his entire congressional salary to Ryan, who was shot twice in the head during the Iraq War, Constantino is continuing to eschew campaign and governing norms.
But Constantino’s pledge to help a veteran is the latest in how he’s given back to his community, his campaign told the Reporter. For years, Constantino has helped Amsterdam and Mohawk Valley communities in Upstate New York.
In addition to donating his salary, should he win in November, to Ryan, Constantino has also designed and funded the restoration of Veterans Park in Amsterdam, contributing up to $150,000 to it. He has also donated over $1 million to the St. Mary’s Institute in Amsterdam, allowing 100 children to attend tuition-free through scholarships and school improvements.
When holidays roll around New York, Constantino is also ever-present in his community. He recently donated $25,000 to help reopen Amsterdam’s Royal Pantry and sustain food distribution for local families; Constantino also helped distribute 2,000 frozen turkeys during the holidays and donated 1,000 bottles of hot sauce to a local food pantry.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Constantino also refused government assistance, his campaign said, telling the Reporter that the New York Republican declined almost $5 million in taxpayer-funded PPP loans.
