Crypto-Backed PAC Fairshake Spends $8.6 Million to Influence Illinois Elections

Fairshake is a super political action committee funded by crypto companies including Ripple Labs and Coinbase. It supports Republicans through Defend American Jobs and Democrats through Protect Progress. Its bipartisan strategy is aimed at shaping the composition of Congress and digital-asset policy, making the 2026 midterm elections a key battleground for the industry’s regulatory direction.

Georgia, Alabama and Kentucky held primaries on May 19, 2026. Fairshake and affiliated groups spent a combined $20 million on advertising, with all six candidates they backed either winning or advancing. Four Republicans and one Democrat won outright, while Barry Moore, who received $7.4 million in support, advanced to a runoff.

Fairshake is a super political action committee backed by crypto companies including Coinbase and Ripple. Its affiliate Protect Progress focuses on Democratic races, while Defend American Jobs supports Republican candidates. The network spent more than $130 million in 2024 and is now intervening in the 2026 midterm elections to expand the pro-crypto bloc in Congress, with implications for regulatory legislation including the CLARITY Act.

Federal Election Commission filings showed that Fairshake-affiliated PACs had spent $7.2 million in Georgia, Texas, Nebraska, Alabama and Kentucky as of May 7, 2026. Protect Progress accounted for about $1.6 million and Defend American Jobs about $5.6 million. On May 26, Christian Menefee, who received $5 million in campaign support, defeated Al Green in Texas. The groups disclosed more than $3.1 million in additional advertising spending in Maryland on June 2.