Crypto PAC Spends $500,000 to Back Pro-Crypto Indiana Congressman

The U.S. crypto industry has increasingly sought to influence congressional elections through Fairshake and its affiliated political action committees, backing candidates with industry-friendly positions. Primaries can effectively decide seats in safe districts, so the spending could reshape the Congress taking office in January 2027. It has also fueled a backlash among Democrats against outside financial support.

New York, Maryland and Utah held primaries on June 23, 2026, with crypto-backed PACs spending more than $8 million in total. Several candidates they supported won, including one in a Maryland congressional race where Protect Progress spent about $5.5 million. Some Democrats, meanwhile, urged candidates to reject money from wealthy crypto donors.

Alabama's U.S. Senate seat became an open race in 2026 after Senator Tommy Tuberville opted to run for governor. Defend American Jobs, which has close ties to crypto industry political action committee Fairshake, targeted candidates who support digital asset policies. Its heavy election spending underscores the industry's efforts to secure favorable regulation by influencing congressional races.

Federal Election Commission records show that Defend American Jobs spent more than $12 million on media and advertising for Republican U.S. Representative Barry Moore, covering the May 19 primary and June 16 runoff. Moore won the runoff with about 55.8% of the vote, defeating Jared Hudson to secure the Republican nomination. He will compete for the Senate seat in the November general election.

The crypto industry is seeking to elect lawmakers who support a digital-asset regulatory framework by channeling money into U.S. congressional races through political action committees. Protect Progress and Defend American Jobs are both affiliated with Fairshake. The latter, funded primarily by Coinbase and Ripple Labs, disclosed a $193 million campaign war chest in January 2026, underscoring the industry's growing bipartisan influence.

After the two PACs spent a combined roughly $3.5 million on advertising, all 11 candidates they backed won or advanced in primaries in California, New Jersey and South Dakota on June 2, 2026, securing places in the November general election. They included Democrats Ted Lieu, Zoe Lofgren and Rob Menendez, as well as Republican U.S. Senator Mike Rounds.

Protect Progress, a political action committee funded by the cryptocurrency industry, intervenes in congressional races to support candidates seen as more receptive to digital asset policy. Its backing of Georgia Democratic state Rep. Jasmine Clark reflects the industry's push for Congress to pass market structure legislation favorable to the crypto market's development.

Protect Progress has spent more than $4 million to support Clark's campaign for a U.S. House seat ahead of Georgia's Democratic primary, mainly on advertising and voter mobilization. The primary, scheduled for July 2026, will test whether the crypto PAC's substantial funding can translate into votes and policy influence.