Fairshake plans $6m push for six US House candidates

Fairshake has announced an initial $6 million spending plan for six US House candidates as part of its support for 32 incumbents ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Summary

$1 million in spending will support each of six incumbents, split equally between both parties.
19 Republicans and 13 Democrats make up the crypto-backed PAC’s announced House slate.
All 32 candidates voted for the CLARITY Act, according to the political action committee.
At least $30 million is separately planned to oppose Sherrod Brown in Ohio’s Senate race.

Fairshake said on Oct. 5 that its first disclosed allocations would support three Democrats and three Republicans, with each receiving $1 million in election spending rather than a direct campaign contribution.

Backed by Coinbase, Ripple Labs and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, the political action committee named Democratic Representatives Janelle Bynum of Oregon, Derek Tran of California and Steven Horsford of Nevada for the initial spending round.

On the Republican side, the PAC selected Arkansas Representative French Hill, Michigan Representative Bill Huizenga and Wisconsin Representative Bryan Steil for the same amount of support, according to its announcement.

Fairshake directs its first $6 million toward six incumbents

In explaining the selection, Fairshake spokesperson Geoff Vetter said the organization bases its election work on candidates’ positions on cryptocurrency policy, with support extending across party lines.

“Fairshake has always been and always will be an issue-focused organization,” he said.

“We back pro-crypto candidates who support American innovation in both parties.”

The three Republicans hold senior positions on the House Financial Services Committee, according to Roll Call, which reported that Hill chairs the full panel, Huizenga serves as its vice chair, and Steil leads its Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee.

Beyond the six initial allocations, the announced slate includes lawmakers in congressional leadership, Roll Call reported. Among them are House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar.

Other supported incumbents include House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith, Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn Thompson and Budget Committee ranking Democrat Brendan Boyle, according to the publication.

For primaries and special elections earlier in the cycle, Vetter told the Associated Press that Fairshake and its affiliates spent $40 million supporting 29 Democrats and $31 million supporting 28 Republicans. The spokesperson said their preferred candidates won 53 of the 57 contests in which the network participated.

House endorsements center on lawmakers’ CLARITY votes

According to Fairshake, every incumbent on its 32-member list voted to advance the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, the industry-backed proposal to establish a federal framework for digital asset markets.

An earlier endorsement round also used the legislation as a test of candidates’ records. On Aug. 24, crypto.news reported that Coinbase-backed Stand With Crypto had endorsed 32 House lawmakers who supported the bill when it passed the chamber in July 2025.

At the time, Stand With Crypto Executive Director Mason Lynaugh told Reuters that the group wanted to return supporters of the legislation to Congress. Its list included Republicans Emmer and Huizenga, alongside Democrats Ritchie Torres and Josh Gottheimer, according to that report.

For US exchanges and other market participants, the proposal would set rules and divide digital asset oversight between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the August report explained.

The House approved the legislation 294–134, according to the same coverage. Negotiations in the Senate subsequently faced disputes over stablecoin rewards, decentralized finance oversight, anti-money laundering provisions and restrictions involving officials’ crypto holdings.

In September, a Senate procedural vote failed to secure the 60 votes needed to advance the measure, leaving the bill stalled ahead of November’s elections, according to reporting on the vote.

Ohio Senate campaign carries a separate $30 million plan

Outside the House races, Fairshake has prepared at least $30 million to oppose former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown in Ohio, according to a Sep. 21 report citing journalist Eleanor Terrett and confirmation from a PAC spokesperson.

Brown is challenging Republican Senator Jon Husted in a special election, the report explained. Husted joined the Senate in January 2025 after Governor Mike DeWine appointed him to replace JD Vance, who left the seat to become vice president.

The November winner will serve the remainder of Vance’s term through January 2029, according to that coverage. Brown previously represented Ohio for 18 years before losing to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024.

During that earlier election, the Fairshake network spent more than $40 million supporting Moreno against Brown, the September report noted. Brown had chaired the Senate Banking Committee and raised concerns about consumer risks, money laundering and illicit finance involving digital assets.

Crypto election contributions reached $206 million in an updated tally

Earlier in the campaign, Vetter said in August that Fairshake had $122 million in cash available and intended to help build the “largest pro-crypto caucus in American history.” A Sep. 2 report detailed the network’s $122 million election reserve after it had backed nearly 50 successful primary candidates.

According to that coverage, Protect Progress generally supports Democrats, while Defend American Jobs focuses on Republicans. The report also recorded a failed intervention in Illinois, where more than $10 million in spending did not prevent Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton from winning the Democratic Senate nomination.

In its June assessment, consumer advocacy group Public Citizen calculated that crypto-aligned companies and groups had contributed $189 million during the election cycle and that Fairshake had spent more than $82 million supporting or opposing candidates.

A subsequent analysis raised the sector’s contribution total to $206 million. Reporting on Sep. 22 detailed Public Citizen’s updated crypto contribution tally, based on its Aug. 27 review of Federal Election Commission disclosures.

Across all sectors, corporate contributions reached $646 million in that analysis, compared with $461 million during the entire 2024 election cycle, Public Citizen said. The group counted $76 million from online betting companies and $62 million from businesses connected with Big Tech, artificial intelligence and data centers.

According to FEC records cited in the September coverage, Fairshake reported $137.4 million in receipts and $88.7 million in disbursements between Jan. 1, 2025, and July 31, 2026. Those disbursements included $65 million transferred to affiliated committees and approximately $13.3 million in independent expenditures.

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