Crypto-backed political action committees delivered significant primary victories in Michigan and Washington this week, with Fairshake-affiliated candidates winning key congressional primaries after directing substantial financial support. According to the Associated Press election results and campaign finance data compiled by Tech Influence Watch, Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga won Michigan's Republican primary after receiving nearly $512,000 in support from Defend American Jobs, the Republican-aligned affiliate of crypto-backed PAC Fairshake. In Washington, Democratic Reps. Suzan DelBene, Kim Schrier and Marilyn Strickland, along with Republican Amanda McKinney, all advanced from their respective primaries after receiving support from political action committees affiliated with the crypto industry. However, the crypto industry's largest campaign fund experienced a rare setback when incumbent Representative Shri Thanedar lost his Detroit primary to progressive challenger Donavan McKinney despite Fairshake's $2 million spending commitment.
A crypto industry-aligned political action committee has pushed its spending above $2 million in Michigan's 13th Congressional District ahead of Tuesday's primary vote. According to final-week Federal Election Commission disclosures, Protect Progress has spent over $2 million backing Democratic incumbent Shri Thanedar and opposing challenger Donavan McKinney. The latest filings added $884,240 in media supporting Thanedar and more than $150,000 in spending against McKinney, effectively doubling the amount reported about a week earlier. Campaign finance records show Protect Progress spent about $113,120 supporting DelBene, $105,040 backing Schrier and $103,020 for Strickland in Washington primaries.
The scale of PAC spending is notable compared to the candidates' own finances. McKinney's campaign reported $1.23 million in total disbursements through July 15, while *Protect Progress'*s outside spending has exceeded that amount, although the figures cover different reporting periods and forms of political activity. Protect Progress is registered as an active independent expenditure-only committee affiliated with the Fairshake network, which has received major funding from companies including Coinbase and Ripple. The latest victories add to a series of primary wins for candidates backed by crypto-funded political committees during the 2026 election cycle, with Fairshake-backed groups spending millions of dollars supporting congressional candidates in Maryland, New York and Utah earlier this year.
Thanedar has supported digital asset legislation, voting for the stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act and the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act in the House. In an official statement, he described these measures as steps toward clearer rules, consumer safeguards and wider financial access, while acknowledging that the bills were "not perfect." The House-approved CLARITY Act remains under consideration in the Senate, with Protect Progress generally supporting candidates viewed as favorable toward digital asset legislation. Huizenga has consistently backed digital asset legislation during his time in Congress, arguing during a House hearing on stablecoins in March 2025 that lawmakers should establish clear rules for crypto assets and saying stablecoins could help reinforce the U.S. dollar's position as the world's reserve currency.
Fairshake has remained one of the crypto industry's biggest political organizations since becoming a major election spender during the 2024 campaign cycle. Back in January, the committee announced it had accumulated $193 million ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, giving it substantial resources to support congressional candidates viewed as favorable toward digital asset policy. The organization receives financial backing from major crypto companies and investors, including Coinbase and Andreessen Horowitz, and has divided much of its election activity between Protect Progress for Democratic candidates and Defend American Jobs for Republicans. While the vast majority of candidates the PAC and its affiliates supported have won their primaries, the effort saw a significant setback in Illinois, where Fairshake spent more than $10 million trying to defeat Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton in her Senate bid. The crypto sector is hoping for legislative answers to user needs, including crypto tax rules, with every member of next year's Senate potentially vital depending on whether the industry's chief policy aim — the Clarity Act — prevails in its last-second drive for a Senate vote this week.
