Politics
Crypto-backed super PAC reports more than $55 million in Ohio Senate spending
A cryptocurrency-industry super PAC added $9 million to its campaign against Sherrod Brown, making Ohio its largest target of the 2026 election cycle. The race pits Brown against Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who has supported crypto-friendly legislation.
A cryptocurrency-industry super PAC has added $9 million to its campaign against Sherrod Brown in Ohio, bringing its reported spending in the Senate race to more than $55 million, according to disclosures made Wednesday, Oct. 21.
The spending makes Ohio the largest target this election cycle for Fairshake and its affiliated groups. The latest funds are being spent through Defend American Jobs, a Fairshake affiliate that backs Republican candidates.
Brown, a former three-term senator and former chair of the Senate Banking Committee, is seeking to regain his seat in a closely contested race against Republican Sen. Jon Husted. Brown has criticized the cryptocurrency sector; Husted has voted for crypto-friendly legislation.
The Fairshake network spent about $40 million opposing Brown in 2024, when he lost his reelection bid to Republican Bernie Moreno. Its reported Ohio spending this cycle has surpassed that amount by roughly $15 million.
The group also disclosed an additional $4.1 million in Nebraska spending Wednesday, bringing its reported total there to $10.8 million. The spending targets independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn and supports Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts.
The scale of the Ohio campaign underscores the role that industry-backed political spending is playing in a competitive Senate race, as voters weigh candidates with sharply different records and approaches to cryptocurrency policy.