U.S. midterms pack major digital assets wallop as Stand With Crypto preps strategy
The terrain of Congress is likely to shift considerably even as the crypto sector continues to chase fundamental legislation.
What to know:
- Stand With Crypto has endorsed half a dozen U.S. congressional candidates in some of the states expected to be hard-fought in the November midterms.
- The advocacy group also fielded a poll of crypto holders, suggesting they’re highly motivated to vote and to pick candidates who support digital assets.
Congressional Republicans are already on the ropes in this year’s U.S. midterm elections, and Congress is likely to shift in ways that deeply affect crypto efforts. So, advocacy group Stand With Crypto is gearing up with a slate of candidate endorsements and a new political poll that says neither party has a majority advantage as crypto’s best advocate.
Stand With Crypto, established initially by Coinbase as a pro-crypto group populated by retail investors, is known for its political advocacy, including maintaining a grading system for U.S. politicians. It announced endorsements in six “battleground” races on Thursday, backing congressional incumbents — such as Republican Zach Nunn in Iowa and Democrat Don Davis in North Carolina — who have been supportive of the industry.
The organization will deploy efforts to marshal its membership to vote and will also pay for media campaigns. In two other districts, it said it will oppose politicians with records against crypto interests. And more races will be named as the year goes on, the group said.
In these consequential elections, Stand With Crypto commissioned a survey that outlined a sense of crypto-owning voters in battleground states. The results, released Thursday, show that neither the Republican nor Democratic party has locked down a majority who think they’re better for the industry, though Republicans are favored 45% to 26%, according to the Impact Research study conducted last month.
