Crypto PAC-supported candidates sweep US state primaries after media buys

Written by Turner Wright , Staff Writer.Reviewed by Robert Lakin , Staff Editor.Written by Turner Wright , Staff Writer.Reviewed by Robert Lakin , Staff Editor.Crypto PAC-supported candidates sweep US state primaries after media buys Latest NewsPublishedJun 3, 2026Nearly a dozen candidates across three US states won their primaries or will advance to the November election after they were supported by $3.5 million in ads funded by crypto industry-aligned PACs.[Update (June 3 at 8:01 pm UTC): This article has been updated to include a response from Fairshake in the fourth paragraph.]Democratic and Republican candidates across California, New Jersey and South Dakota won their respective primaries on Tuesday after being the beneficiaries of supportive ads purchased by cryptocurrency industry-backed political action committees (PACs).On Tuesday, Democrats Jacqui Irwin, Ted Lieu, Zoe Lofgren, Dave Min, Mike McGuire, Hilda Solis, George Whitesides, Lou Correa and Lateefah Simon won their respective California primaries for House seats. Democrat Rob Menendez and Republican Mike Rounds also won primaries for New Jersey’s 8th congressional district and a South Dakota Senate seat, respectively.Selection of results after Tuesday’s primaries for California House seats. Source: CalMattersThe political wins came after the Protect Progress and Defend American Jobs PACs spent about a combined $3.5 million on media to support the candidates. The groups are affiliated with Fairshake, a political action committee funded largely by cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and Ripple Labs that reported having a war chest of $193 million in January.“America needs members of Congress who will act to lay out responsible guardrails for the community to maintain our global leadership,” Fairshake spokesperson Geoff Vetter told Cointelegraph.The PAC spending came on the heels of similar buys for supportive media in Texas runoff primaries last week, which resulted in Democrat Christian Menefee de…

Crypto PAC-supported candidates sweep US state primaries after media buys

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