Crypto Political Action Committee Fairshake Receives $25 Million Donation

In a recent development, Coinbase, a leading cryptocurrency exchange, disclosed a substantial contribution of $25 million to Fairshake, a super political action committee (PAC) dedicated to promoting crypto-related interests. This donation comes amidst heightened lobbying activities by Coinbase leading up to the November U.S. elections.

The announcement, made by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong on June 3, highlighted that the contribution has boosted the total funds accumulated by the PAC and its associates to $160 million in the current election cycle. This donation amount mirrors recent financial endorsements from Ripple and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.

Armstrong emphasized the imperative of advocating for candidates who support the crypto industry, transcending party lines. He stressed the necessity of conveying to political aspirants that adopting an anti-crypto stance is counterproductive in the prevailing environment. Armstrong further underscored the significance of endorsing candidates aligned with crypto values and ousting those who oppose them from their positions.

While Coinbase remains open to engaging with detractors, it has expressed its intention to no longer lend support to anti-crypto entities. The platform intends to actively collaborate to eliminate anti-crypto individuals from political office.

With a substantial funding of $160 million, Fairshake stands out as one of the most financially robust super PACs in the country. Although restricted from directly funding political candidates, Fairshake possesses the capacity to allocate unrestricted funds to support candidates through alternative channels.

Analysis conducted by OpenSecrets indicates that Fairshake's primary expenditure in the current cycle amounts to $10 million, primarily directed towards lobbying efforts against Democratic candidates. This outlay represents a quarter of the total $40 million disbursed by the PAC during this election cycle.

Earlier this year, Fairshake initiated attack advertisements against California Representative Katie Porter, who participated in a primary Senate race in March.

The substantial donation from Coinbase precedes the upcoming U.S. elections scheduled for November 5, encompassing significant contests for the presidency, all 435 House seats, and 34 Senate seats.

A report by Public Citizen in May highlighted the substantial influence of the crypto sector in pivotal races, which could potentially sway the control of Congress towards a specific political party.

Despite recent legal challenges, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump maintains a slight lead over the incumbent, Joe Biden, as per polling data collected by FiveThirtyEight on June 3.

Source: Coinbase