Crypto advocates may soon be celebrating a major political shift, with results from the 2024 U.S. election showing hundreds of pro-crypto candidates winning seats in Congress.
The results have come in the wake of the sector flexing its political and financial muscles, spending more than $238 million to grow its influence in the American legislative space.
Crypto Spending Boosts Key Senate Races
Initial projections from the Fox News Decision Desk and live results from the Stand With Crypto website indicate that pro-crypto candidates have had considerable success across various states.
As of the latest tally, 247 pro-crypto candidates were winning in the House of Representatives, against 113 with the opposite stance. Similarly, in the Senate, 15 crypto-friendly voices were ahead in their respective races, while only ten anti-crypto politicians showed signs of making it to Capitol Hill.
Substantial spending from Political Action Committees (PACs) aligned with the digital assets industry was seen in several high-profile Senate races. For example, Bernie Moreno, the Republican candidate for the Ohio Senate seat, successfully ousted Democratic incumbent and Elizabeth Warren ally Sherrod Brown.
The pro-crypto super PAC Defend American Jobs reportedly boosted Moreno’s campaign to the tune of $40.1 million. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and prominent venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Chris Dixon also made personal contributions.
Beyond the Senate, crypto funding made an impact across multiple Congressional races, with victories for candidates who have openly advocated for blockchain and digital assets.
In Indiana, Republican Jim Banks secured a Senate seat with substantial backing from the Defend American Jobs PAC, which contributed $3 million to his campaign. The PAC also directed $2 million toward John Curtis in Utah, where he succeeded Mitt Romney.
In some key victories for Democrats, Representatives Ritchie Torres and Dan Goldman, both of whom have been vocal about their support for crypto, also retained their seats with financial help from the Protect Progress PAC.
Notably, Protect Progress contributed $150,853 to Goldman and $110,148 to Torres, underscoring the bipartisan nature of crypto advocacy.
Pro-Crypto Candidates Garner Support Nationwide
Elsewhere, Democrat Adam Schiff, boasting an A-grade on Stand With Crypto’s website, which designates him as “strongly” supporting crypto, won the Senate race against Republican Steve Garvey in California, garnering more than 5.1 million votes.
Schiff was joined by Ted Cruz, who beat his Democratic opponent Colin Allred by more than 900,000 votes to retain his Texas Senate seat.
Cruz is a known Bitcoin advocate, having previously championed turning his state into a “crypto oasis.” Alongside him, crypto picked up allies in Texas’ 15th, 28th, 32nd, and 34th congressional districts. Representatives Monica De La Cruz, Henry Cuellar, Julie Johnson, and Vicente Gonzalez are all marked as strong supporters of virtual assets.
Matt Gaetz, who introduced legislation to allow Bitcoin payment on federal income tax in June, was also a winner in Florida’s Congressional District 1, trouncing the Democratic Party’s Gay Valimont by more than 133,000 votes. In total, 21 pro-crypto candidates are projected to win seats in the Sunshine State, with only six of a different persuasion likely to make it through.
With counting still ongoing in most states, the picture will become much clearer in the next few days as tight races are confirmed.
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