Sean Eldridge late Sunday night announced he is running for Congress as a Democrat in the Hudson Valley area of New York state. The former Political Director for Freedom To Marry is the president of Hudson River Ventures, and will be running against two-term Republican congressman Chris Gibson for NY-19.
“I love the Hudson Valley. It’s where I’m building my family, my home, and my business. Right now the voices of everyday New Yorkers are being drowned out by the special interests and party politics causing gridlock in Washington,” Eldridge, 27, said in a press release dated Monday, September 23, and an accompanying video (posted below.)
“We need an independent voice who will stand up to Big Oil and Big Banks and fight for middle class families. I’m proud of my record of growing small businesses in our region, and in Congress, I will fight for common sense solutions to grow our economy and create good jobs.”
The video touts Eldridge being “raised in a small town in Ohio,” and his work with Planned Parenthood but does not mention his work helping secure marriage equality in New York — although his campaign website does. Eldridge, who is married to Facebook co-founder and The New Republic publisher Chris Hughes, remains a senior advisor to Freedom To Marry.
(UPDATE: Buzzfeed seemed to take issue with the timing of Eldridge’s announcement, along with his not mentioning his work for marriage or his husband in thie video: “His marriage equality work and his marriage, however, are not featured in the nearly three-minute ad — and his husband isn’t mentioned in his campaign bio.”)
“I’ve joined with Planned Parenthood to fight for women’s health,” Eldridge says in his almost three-minute video. “I’ve worked to protect our environment and New York’s incredible natural resources. And I’ve worked to reform our broken campaign finance system. I founded Hudson River Ventures, an investment company that has created local jobs and grown small businesses throughout our region, including family- and veteran-owned companies. We all know that we need to grow our economy, and I know firsthand what it takes to support small businesses, and create good jobs.”
Noting “Eldridge is the only Democrat seriously exploring a run,” Capitol Confidential adds:
It’s no surprise that Eldridge is entering the race. He’s worked to raise his business profile in recent months, and Republicans, sensing his ambition, have already rushed to paint him as a rich carpet-bagger. Eldridge and Hughes bought a house in the district earlier this year, along the Ashokan Reservoir above Kingston.
Eldridge also made the announcement Facebook and Twitter.
I’m excited to announce that I’m running to represent New York’s 19th District in Congress. Here’s why: https://t.co/sSDG81WhKa
— Sean Eldridge (@SeanEldridge) September 23, 2013
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Image via Eldridge’s campaign Facebook page