Republican businessman Anthony Constantino, the favorite to win New York’s 21st Congressional District this fall, says he will donate his entire $174,000 congressional salary to the family of Sgt. Eddie Ryan, a Marine veteran who was shot twice in the head during the Iraq War, according to an exclusive report from the Washington Reporter.
Constantino is running to succeed Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.), who did not seek reelection to the seat in 2026 after launching a brief campaign for governor. The 21st District, which President Donald Trump carried by double digits, is considered heavily favorable to Republicans, and Constantino currently polls as much as eight points ahead of his Democratic opponent, dairy farmer Blake Gendebien.
Constantino, who runs the company Sticker Mule, has self-funded his entire campaign. The salary pledge adds to a running list of personal donations he has made in and around Amsterdam, New York, in recent years.
A Pattern of Local Giving
According to the report, Constantino has contributed up to $150,000 toward designing and restoring Veterans Park in Amsterdam. He has also given more than $1 million to St. Mary’s Institute in Amsterdam, funding tuition-free scholarships and school improvements for 100 children.
His community giving extends to holiday and food-security efforts: Constantino donated $25,000 to help reopen Amsterdam’s Royal Pantry and sustain its food distribution, helped distribute 2,000 frozen turkeys during the holidays, and donated 1,000 bottles of hot sauce to a local food pantry.
The report notes a parallel with President Trump, who has donated his entire presidential salary to various causes throughout his time in office.
If elected, Constantino’s pledge would mean the full congressional salary attached to the seat flows directly to Ryan’s family rather than to Constantino himself, a step beyond his existing practice of funding his campaign without outside donors.
