Crypto PAC Targets Anti-Crypto Democrat in Texas Primary

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 has often noted potential hazards posed by cryptocurrencies to the U.S. financial system and to investors, co-sponsored a bill seeking to ban President Donald Trump from his personal crypto business interests and has voted against crypto policy legislation. That opposition earned him an "F" grade from 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 rivals in the Democratic primary for the recently redrawn Texas district he represents. Texas' primaries come 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 is supportive 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 campaign spent less than $450,000 to 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 that it'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.