Defend Developers PAC announced Wednesday its plans to raise and contribute more than six figures across dozens of congressional races in the midterm election cycle. According to reports from CoinDesk, the PAC registered last month as a hybrid committee, allowing it to make direct contributions to candidates within federal limits while also spending unlimited amounts on independent political advertisements through a separate account. The group's founder and policy lead, Gavin Zavatone from the DeFi Education Fund, stated the PAC aims to support incumbent lawmakers who have already backed legal protections for crypto technologists. As reported by CoinDesk, the PAC's board includes members connected to Uniswap Labs, the DeFi Education Fund, and the Solana Policy Institute, with Zavatone stating the group wants to build political infrastructure funded by founders, builders, and executives with direct stakes in crypto policy.
As reported by CoinDesk, Defend Developers' campaign work will center on the legal treatment of software creators and builders in the blockchain sector. The group emphasizes that crypto technologists need members of Congress who will defend their ability to build in the United States. The PAC's board includes members connected to Uniswap Labs, the DeFi Education Fund, and the Solana Policy Institute, with Zavatone stating the group wants to build political infrastructure funded by founders, builders, and executives with direct stakes in crypto policy. According to CoinDesk, Defend Developers enters a political landscape already shaped by crypto-funded groups but plans to use a different model from the largest industry players.
According to CoinDesk reports, Defend Developers enters a political landscape already shaped by crypto-funded groups but plans to use a different model from the largest industry players. The group is not expected to match Fairshake, the leading crypto super PAC, which has spent heavily across congressional races. Defend Developers also enters below mid-sized crypto political groups such as the Fellowship PAC, linked to Tether, and the Digital Freedom Fund, tied to the Winklevoss brothers. Another industry-backed hybrid PAC, the Blockchain Leadership Fund, was launched by Anchorage Digital and Chainlink. Unlike super PACs such as Fairshake, Defend Developers operates as a hybrid PAC, allowing it to make direct candidate contributions within Federal Election Commission limits while also accepting unlimited corporate money for independent advertising, though it has yet to disclose funding totals.
As reported by CoinDesk, Fairshake remains the largest force in crypto campaign finance and supported 11 candidates in Tuesday's primaries across California, New Jersey, and South Dakota, with all advancing or winning their races. The supported candidates included nine Democratic House candidates in California, one Democratic House candidate in New Jersey, and Republican Senator Mike Rounds in South Dakota. Fairshake spent less than $476,000 on any single race this week, with the largest amount going to Representative George Whitesides. Last week, Fairshake spent $6.5 million in Texas against veteran Democratic Representative Al Green, who lost his primary to Christian Menefee. The November general election carries high stakes for the industry because control of at least one chamber of Congress could shift to Democrats, shaping the policy environment for crypto developers and companies.
