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Local Man Slams Facebook Spouse Sean Eldridge in Epic Letter to the Editor

Sean Eldridge, the 26-year-old spouse of Facebook "poke" button pioneer Chris Hughes, has had a rough week.

THE POLITICO recently published a damning report on Eldridge’s strange reluctance to engage with the media. He faces mounting criticism over his efforts to unseat incumbent Representative Chris Gibson (R., N.Y.), a decorated war veteran and lifetime resident of the district he serves. Eldridge has lived there since 2011 in the $5 million Hudson River Valley estate Hughes bought to facilitate his husband’s political ambitions. "Eldridge" is the top donor to his own campaign (at least $700,000 and counting), and takes money from his billionaire friends while decrying the influence of "special interests" in politics.

Philmont, N.Y. resident Ed Fertik is not impressed. Fertik authored an epic letter-to-the-editor for the Register Star on Friday, in which he describes the "elitist" Eldridge’s campaign as "one of the most disgusting political maneuvers we could ever witness here in Columbia County."

"Mr. Eldrige represents all that is bad about mainstream politics especially in regard to buying your way into power with huge sums of money that you never earned yourself," Fertik writes. "Hopefully readers will recognize that Eldridge has no vested interest in Columbia County, where the incumbent Chris Gibson grew up and owns property, or our region in general."

Voters should reject Eldridge’s efforts to "fool and buy" the electorate, Fertik argues. "One of the greatest incentives for continuing to keep Chris Gibson in Congress is to send a message to Eldridge and others like him that you can’t buy us and we aren’t stupid."

Fertik suggests that Eldridge "try something new for him like earning respect through hard work and accomplishment in the political arena."

Read the full letter here.