Investor Eldridge Eyes N.Y. House Seat
Photograph by Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Sean Eldridge, president of Hudson River Ventures, left, and Chris Hughes, editor-in-chief and publisher of The New Republic and a founder of Facebook Inc., during the Paris Review Spring Revel gala in New York.
Sean Eldridge, an investor and Democratic political activist, has filed paperwork establishing a 2014 campaign for Congress in New York’s Hudson Valley.
A statement of organization creating “Sean Eldridge for Congress” and a statement of candidacy were processed by the Federal Election Commission on Feb. 1.
Eldridge is the president and founder of Hudson River Ventures LLC and a senior adviser toFreedom to Marry, which advocates for same-sex marriage. He’s married to Chris Hughes, a co-founder of Facebook and the publisher of The New Republic magazine. Eldridge created a political action committee that promoted an overhaul of campaign finance laws, according to Capital Tonight.
Eldridge would seek the 19th District seat held by two-term Republican Chris Gibson, who was re-elected by 53 percent to 47 percent in 2012. New York’s 19th District, which takes in all or part of 11 counties, backed President Barack Obama over Republican challenger Mitt Romney by 52 percent to 46 percent, according to data compiled by Political Capital.
Eldridge is a frequent donor to Democratic candidates and committees. He gave $30,800 in February 2012 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the campaign arm of House Democrats, Federal Election Commission records show.
Eldridge didn’t immediately return an e-mail seeking comment.
House Democrats, who fell 17 seats short of winning a majority in 2012, are targeting Republican-held districts like Gibson’s that voted for Obama. Andrew Romanoff, a former Colorado state House speaker, announced last weekend that he will challenge three-term Republican Mike Coffman in the 6th District near Denver, a district that also voted for Obama.
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