Democrat Sean Eldrige, husband of Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, officially announced a run for Congress on Sunday, CBS reported.
Eldrige, 27, will be running against Republican Rep. Chris Gibson for a House seat in New York's 19th district. In a video posted on his campaign website, he declared his love for Hudson Valley and said his run for Congress was inspired by the hyperpartisan politics of Washington.
"I love the Hudson Valley. It's where I'm building my family, my home, and my business," Eldrige said. "We need an independent voice who will fight for us and that's why I'm running for Congress. Instead of looking out for wall street and big oil, we need Washington to help our small businesses and our family farms."
Eldrige is currently the president of Hudson Valley Ventures and founded the Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center at SUNY New Paltz. He has already invested $215,000 into his campaign so far.
The district he is running for includes Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, and Ulster counties in addtion to parts of Broome, Dutchess, Montgomery, and Rensselaer counties, according to his website.
During the 2012 presidential election, the district was split between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney, giving Obama a minimal lead at 52 percent.
He is currently the only Democratic candidate running in the race for Congress.
Stephanie Valle, a spokeswoman for Gibson, is both skeptical and critical of Eldrige's bid.
"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," she said to POLITICO.
"One thing is clear -- this race will test the hypothesis of whether Congressional seats can be bought," Valle added.
