Trump-endorsed congressional candidate pledges entire $174K salary to wounded Iraq War veteran's family
Trump-endorsed Republican congressional candidate Anthony Constantino says he will donate $174,000 — the equivalent of one year’s congressional salary — to the family of Sgt. Eddie Ryan, a wounded Iraq War veteran, regardless of whether he wins his race in New York’s 21st Congressional District.
Constantino, the CEO of Sticker Mule, made the surprise pledge on June 10 at a campaign event in Queensbury, New York, handing Ryan’s family a handwritten note promising the donation, according to local news outlet The Daily Gazette.
"I planned to give away my entire congressional salary from day one," Constantino told Fox News Digital. "My team presented a few options and I immediately thought of Sgt. Eddie Ryan because he inspired me to fight harder early in this race."
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Constantino added, "I want this to become a symbolic gesture that encourages more Americans to fight, fight, fight for a better future while simultaneously inspiring other people of means to support our great Veterans."
Ryan, a former U.S. Marine Corps sniper, was severely wounded by friendly fire in Iraq in 2005. He was shot twice in the head, suffered a traumatic brain injury and now faces lasting mobility and speech challenges, The Daily Gazette reported.
Constantino said he first met Ryan and his family earlier this year outside a Warren County Republican Committee meeting. The exchange lasted less than a minute, but he said it left a lasting impression.
"Sgt. Ryan is a role model for loving America and staying positive in the face of adversity. He was severely wounded in combat and proudly says he would do it again with a big smile," Constantino said.
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Ryan said he was stunned by the announcement.
"I’m still floored," Ryan said after the pledge was revealed, according to The Daily Gazette.
Constantino is running against state Assembly Member Robert Smullen in the June 23 Republican primary to succeed Rep. Elise Stefanik in New York’s 21st Congressional District.
He has spent millions of dollars of his own money on the campaign and has cast the race as a fight against the political establishment.
"It’s an opportunity to move the country in a positive direction in a big way," Constantino said. "Once I saw first hand how bad the swamp that President Trump talks about so much really is, I felt I had no choice but to use my resources to fight it to create a better future for America."
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump endorsed Constantino — who previously fought local officials to keep a massive pro-Trump sign on his factory — in the race to fill Stefanik’s seat.
"It is my Great Honor to endorse America First Patriot, Anthony Constantino, who is running to represent the fantastic people of New York’s 21st Congressional District," Trump wrote on Truth Social in April.
Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report.