Key facts
- Fairshake PAC affiliates spent $46.6 million opposing Sherrod Brown and supporting Jon Husted.
- Digital Freedom Fund spent $3 million opposing Brown and supporting Husted.
- Fairshake spent $41 million opposing Brown in the 2024 Ohio Senate race.
- Defend American Jobs spent $6.7 million opposing Dan Osborn in Nebraska's Senate race.
Crypto-aligned Political Action Committees have significantly increased their spending to influence the Ohio Senate race, primarily targeting Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. Fairshake, a PAC largely funded by Coinbase and Ripple Labs, has spent $46.6 million through its affiliate Defend American Jobs to oppose Brown and support Republican incumbent Jon Husted. This expenditure marks a substantial rise from Fairshake's initial planned spending and surpasses its total outlay in the 2024 election cycle. The Digital Freedom Fund, created by Gemini co-founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, has also contributed approximately $3 million to oppose Brown and back Husted, bringing its total media purchases in the race to over $5.9 million. Senator Brown, who has previously challenged crypto industry policies, stated that these groups are backing Husted because they believe he is more favorable to their interests. Fairshake has stated its goal is to elect pro-crypto candidates to Congress in 2026. In addition to the Ohio race, Defend American Jobs has also spent over $6.7 million opposing Independent candidate Dan Osborn in Nebraska.