Sean Eldridge. (Photo by Dan Barton)
Sean Eldridge, CEO of Kingston-based investment concern Hudson River Ventures and spouse of Facebook multimillionaire Chris Hughes, posted a YouTube video late Sunday night formally announcing his campaign for the Democratic nomination for next year’s New York’s 19th Congressional District race.
Eldridge, a Shokan resident, has been holding fundraisers for months toward an expected Congressional bid. He’s challenging two-term incumbent Chris Gibson, Republican of Kinderhook.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKsq4d889lk&feature=player_detailpage
Even later Sunday night, Gibson spokeswoman Stephanie Valle issued the following statement in response to Eldridge’s announcement:
“This comes as no surprise. He purchased a multimillion dollar home in our district in January, filed to run for Congress in February, and then cleared up his voter registration problems a few months later. He’s been raising money from wealthy friends while at the same time touting an economic plan that boils down to loaning his potential constituents money. One thing is clear – this race will test the hypothesis of whether Congressional seats can be bought. Frankly, if he needed to introduce himself to voters, there was no need to spend more of his money creating a new website and video. The New York Times’s lengthy, front-page profile tells everyone all they need to know.”
Early Monday morning, Eldridge’s people sent out a press release officially unveiling the video, stating Eldridge was “a leader in the fight for campaign finance reform” and insisting Eldridge would not take money from “corporate PACs” during the run.
“Right now the voices of everyday New Yorkers are being drowned out by the special interests and party politics causing gridlock in Washington. We need an independent voice who will stand up to Big Oil and Big Banks and fight for middle-class families,” stated Eldridge in the release. “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.”