Update (Sept. 30, 10:55 pm UTC): This article has been updated to include a response from Stand With Crypto.
Stand With Crypto, the industry-aligned organization Coinbase launched in 2023 to promote what it called “clear, common-sense regulations for the crypto industry,” has announced several picks for the next session of the US Congress.
On Wednesday, Bloomberg first reported that Stand With Crypto said it would be supporting candidates running for Senate seats in 2026, including Republican Jon Husted in Ohio, Republican Ashley Hinson in Iowa and Democrat Chris Pappas in New Hampshire. Husted is defending his Senate seat against Democrat Sherrod Brown, who lost to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024 after outside groups spent more than $300 million in Ohio.
In addition to the Senate seats, the advocacy organization said it had endorsed several House of Representatives candidates, including Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa and Democrat Shomari Figures in Alabama. The group’s picks come as many polls show Democrats favored to regain control of the House and Senate in 2027.
A shakeup in majority control of either chamber of Congress could change how lawmakers address bills like the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act. The crypto market structure bill failed to get enough votes in the Republican-controlled Senate earlier this month for a crucial cloture motion after passing the House with bipartisan support in 2025.
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Stand With Crypto endorsed 32 House candidates in August whom it called “proven digital asset policy champions,” citing the potential to sway voters in key races.
How the vote on a crypto bill could impact US elections
After the failed CLARITY vote on Sept. 15, Stand With Crypto warned of “consequences” for lawmakers who did not support the bill.
With just 34 days until the midterm elections, some candidates have already been flooded with money from the crypto industry filtered through political action committees (PACs) and direct donations to campaigns. The Fairshake PAC, a group largely backed by contributions from Coinbase, Ripple Labs and Andreessen Horowitz, pledged to initially spend $30 million supporting Husted over Brown in Ohio and spent $82 million on candidates across the country as of June.
Speaking to Cointelegraph on the spending in the Senate run between Husted and Brown, Stand With Crypto Executive Director Mason Lynaugh said that there “isn’t any evidence that crypto industry organizations are able to buy any assurances of who will win a race.“ He said that Husted was a “proven pro-crypto lawmaker“ and the organization’s endorsement was due to the Ohio lawmaker’s vote in favor of the CLARITY Act, the industry’s “top policy priority.“
“[W]hen his opponent [Brown] was last in the Senate, he was a leading anti-crypto voice from a very influential position on the Senate Banking Committee,“ said Lynaugh. “Actions speak louder than words. While former Senator Brown’s recent remarks about crypto’s role in the national economy are encouraging, it’s track record that matters the most in our endorsement process.“
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