Fairshake, a super political action committee (PAC) aligned with cryptocurrency, has lost the support of billionaire Democratic donor Ron Conway after the PAC committed to spending millions to oust Democratic Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown.
Background
According to a POLITICO report from August 19, venture capitalist Ron Conway revealed in an email to other donors that he was not informed about the PAC’s decision to spend $12 million supporting Republican challenger Bernie Moreno against Senator Brown in this year's elections.
Conway's Criticism
In the email, Conway claimed that the decision was made behind his back. He described the situation as "a slap in the face" to both himself and Senator Schumer, whom he was scheduled to meet in San Francisco today, August 20, 2024. "Not one person bothered to give me a heads-up that you were doing this," he wrote in the mail. He criticized the move as "short-sighted and stupid," and stated that he would no longer support or associate with the super PAC. "Because of your selfish hidden agendas, it is time for us to separate," the mail read.
Implications for Fairshake
Fairshake has reportedly received tens of millions of dollars in support from major players in the U.S. crypto industry, all in a bid to influence the upcoming elections in favour of candidates with a favourable stance toward the industry. Contributors include Ripple, Coinbase, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, and Andreessen Horowitz founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. Conway also alleged that Fairshake was divided into two factions: a moderate group and a "Donald Trump faction." He specifically named Armstrong and Andreessen as part of the latter. Conway also noted that while the PAC planned to support an equal number of Democrats and Republicans, most of the Republicans it backed were in critical districts for Democrats hoping to regain control of the House.
Fairshake's decision to back a Republican in a critical Democratic district has led to the loss of a significant donor in Ron Conway, potentially impacting the PAC's future operations.
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