ADVERTISEMENT

Ellison's Must Read of the Day

Ellison Barber
April 9, 2014

My must read of the day is "Chasing Sean Eldridge," in Politico:

The 27-year-old husband of Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes has turned his congressional campaign for New York’s 19th District into a multimillion-dollar start-up — a gambit that veteran election watchers say is as unique as it is brazen.

It has unfolded in rapid-fire sequence. After Eldridge decided he wanted to run for office, he and Hughes in 2011 bought the first of two luxurious homes in the Hudson Valley region. Soon after, Eldridge set up a venture capital firm, Hudson River Ventures, that has provided millions in loans and equity lines to local companies. And now the first-time candidate, who’s running his first business, is touting the jobs he’s created in the blue-collar district. […]

Like no other 2014 candidate, Eldridge is testing the limits of dollars and cents to secure a seat in the House of Representatives. The Democrat is tapping Hughes’s vast wealth—estimated at $700 million—to build an elaborate campaign apparatus in a district where he remains a stranger to many. In addition to his firm’s investments, Eldridge has spent more than $700,000 on his campaign, and that figure is sure to rise exponentially because he’s promised to match each contribution he receives, dollar for dollar.

This race is not an important one to watch—and in this cycle House races on the whole aren’t going to be as intriguing as the Senate because the stakes aren’t as high. Republicans will likely keep the House with relative ease. But this race, and specifically this candidate, is fascinating to watch.

Eldridge wants to be a politician. Great. That’s neither weird nor offensive.

He’s also not the first person to seemingly relocate in order to run for political office, but Eldridge isn’t just relocating. He’s also buying a vibrant role in the community. Eldridge inserted a home and a business in the 19th district like it was a game of Monopoly.

It’s easy to see why he would see that as a viable route to win a seat. A business leader is typically a great candidate in any election race—many congressmen were first business owners and leaders in their district. Eldridge is 27, and he has not been a business leader. He was an advocate and seen as a rather influential one in regard to gay rights. Being an advocate isn’t a political death sentence—why not just run on that? It’s a record, and it’s real. What he’s doing now is creating his own false image

It’s impossible to look at his actions and see it as anything other than a spoiled rich kid who, much like Veruca Salt, has decided "I want it now," and his husband is willing to pay whatever it takes. His image is completely concocted, and while that is often the norm in politics, Eldridge’s behavior is on an entirely different playing field. He’s made himself a caricature of what a political candidate should be—that’s not a real qualification.