Stand With Crypto, the advocacy group Coinbase launched in 2023, named its first Senate endorsements alongside new House picks on Wednesday, roughly a month before the midterms. The rollout comes two weeks after the Clarity Act failed 49-50 in the Senate.
First Senate picks target three races
Stand With Crypto is backing Republican Sen. Jon Husted in Ohio, where he faces former Senate Banking Committee Chair Sherrod Brown, a longtime crypto skeptic. The group also endorsed Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson in Iowa's Senate race and Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas in New Hampshire, who is running against former GOP Sen. John Sununu.
According to Decrypt: "regardless of party" is how the group says it picks candidates on their crypto policy positions. On the House side, it endorsed Iowa Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Alabama Democrat Shomari Figures, and it plans to ramp up advertising in six House campaigns. That builds on an August round that endorsed 32 House incumbents.
Clarity Act defeat sharpens the push
The timing follows the Senate's failure to advance the Clarity Act in a 49-50 vote last month, with Democrats voting as a bloc amid concerns over President Donald Trump's crypto dealings. Stand With Crypto framed that defeat as a turning point, warning that senators' votes would be added to its public scorecard for voters to judge at the ballot box.
Executive Director Mason Lynaugh has said the group's more than three million advocates are now fully focused on electing pro-crypto candidates. Unlike super PACs, Stand With Crypto doesn't make direct campaign contributions. Instead, it concentrates on voter mobilization and grading candidates through its Voter Hub.
Money follows the crypto regulation fight
Candidates the group rates highly often draw funding from industry-aligned PACs regardless. The Fairshake super PAC recently launched a $30 million spending blitz against Brown, and combined crypto-aligned political spending has approached roughly $200 million for the 2026 cycle.
Husted's endorsement carries particular weight: Brown's return would hand crypto skeptics a powerful voice on the Senate Banking Committee, making Ohio a test of whether the industry's electoral machine can move votes. With Congress stalled on the Clarity Act, the fight has shifted to the campaign trail.
Source: Decrypt
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