The super PAC is devoting $1.5 million to get Representative Al Green, a Democrat critical of the crypto industry, defeated by a primary challenger.
What to know:
- For the second time this week, the Fairshake super PAC has announced a significant campaign spending plan in its effort to build a pro-crypto Congress, this time going after Democratic Representative Al Green.One of Fairshake's affiliate PACs committed $1.5 million against the longtime Texas congressman in a primary election next month that pits him against a candidate with blockchain-friendly sentiments.The spending easily outpaces what Green's campaign has raised so far.
The crypto industry's campaign-finance arm, Fairshake, has begun rolling out its campaign strategies in its well-funded effort to pack Congress with lawmakers ready to pass friendly digital assets policy, and Democratic Representative Al Green is the first lawmaker on its hit list.
An affiliate of the Fairshake political action committee, which has begun deploying its $193 million war chest on this year's congressional midterm elections, said it will spend $1.5 million on advertisements opposing Green's primary campaign.
The critical Texas lawmaker hasoften noted potential hazardsposed by cryptocurrencies to the U.S. financial system and to investors,co-sponsored a billseeking to ban President Donald Trump from his personal crypto business interests and has voted against crypto policy legislation. That oppositionearned him an "F" gradefrom Stand With Crypto, a group that assesses crypto support from politicians.
Green, who is among the most senior Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee that has a direct hand in crypto legislation,faces rivalsin the Democratic primary for the recently redrawn Texas district he represents. Texas' primariescome quickly next month, and longtime congressman Green would have to beat a younger Democrat, Christian Menefee, who just won a special election and took the redrawn district's seat days ago.
"Texas voters can no longer sit by and have representation in Congress that is actively hostile towards a growing Texas crypto community," Fairshake's super PAC affiliate, Protect Progress, said in a statement. "We are committed to electing new members who embrace innovation, growth and wealth creation for all Americans."
Menefee issupportive of blockchain technology, according to his campaign stance, and Stand With Crypto gives him an "A" grade.
In Green's most recent election in 2024, his campaignspent less than $450,000to retain his seat, which went unchallenged in the primary, and he needed even less in 2022. But he's so far brought in more than $700,000 in this more difficult contest. Still, that's less than half of Fairshake's spending against him.
Fairshake also this week announced thatit'll spend $5 million to boost a pro-crypto Alabama Republican, U.S. Representative Barry Moore, in that state's Senate primary. And the group is also backing House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, according to a spokesman. The super PAC generally spends money on advertisements that are general political messages, not related to crypto issues, and because they're "independent expenditures" under election law, Fairshake isn't allowed to coordinate with campaigns.
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