Crypto PACs Lose Key Races After Spending Millions in Midterms

The Digital Freedom Fund spent $7.5 million against Sherrod Brown, adding to the $56.5 million Fairshake put into the Ohio contest. Crypto-focused super PACs spent more than $176 million across 100+ races in the 2026 US midterms. However, their biggest campaign ended in defeat after Democrat Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Jon Husted to win Ohio’s Senate contest despite a $64 million effort to stop him. Brown Beats Husted Despite $64M Crypto Campaign According to NBC figures, Brown got 2.24 million votes, making up about 49.7% of the total cast, with Husted receiving 2.06 million, or 45.5%, with 97.3% of the vote counted. Heading into this particular showdown, crypto groups had spent more than $64 million trying to prevent that exact outcome, with Fairshake, the industry’s flagship super PAC, accounting for $56.5 million of the spending, and Digital Freedom Fund, supported by the Winklevoss twins who co-founded the Gemini exchange, contributing another $7.5 million. Brown frequently criticized the crypto sector during his time as chair of the Senate Banking Committee, but during the campaign, he seemed to have somewhat softened his stance, even telling the New York Times that cry...