Altcoins News

Story: Crypto PAC Dumps $8.6 Million Into Illinois Races Before Midterms

By Jean-Luc Maracon

1 / 15

Fairshake just dropped serious cash. The crypto-backed political action committee threw $8.6 million at Illinois races heading into November's midterm elections, making it clear…

2 / 15

Maxine Holloway chairs the PAC and she's pretty upfront about what they're doing here. On March 7, Holloway said they're laser-focused on backing candidates who won't kill crypto…

3 / 15

The state became Fairshake's main target because several races there could swing control of key committees that write crypto rules.

4 / 15

Critics aren't buying what Fairshake is selling, though. They say the PAC operates in shadows and concentrates too much power in the hands of anonymous crypto donors who could be…

5 / 15

The Federal Election Commission is watching closely. An FEC official who didn't want to be named said Fairshake operates legally but the sheer volume of crypto money flowing into…

6 / 15

Fairshake plans to spend even more before November. Holloway hinted at additional investments targeting lawmakers who write digital economy policy, basically admitting they're…

7 / 15

Some Illinois candidates welcome the crypto cash with open arms. On March 8, State Representative Jamie Lopez, who took Fairshake money, told media that blockchain technology…

8 / 15

But not everyone's happy about outside money flooding local races. Illinois Republican Party Chair Mark Thompson issued a statement March 9 questioning why out-of-state entities…

9 / 15

Fairshake doesn't just write checks to candidates. They're running statewide advertising campaigns promoting cryptocurrency benefits to regular Illinois residents, trying to…

10 / 15

Political analysts see Fairshake's strategy working. Dr. Emily Carter from University of Illinois said the PAC targets swing districts where money makes the biggest difference,…

11 / 15

Campaign finance reform groups are fighting back hard. The Illinois Coalition for Transparent Elections released a statement March 10 condemning crypto-backed funding as a threat…

12 / 15

Fairshake announced plans for a public forum in Chicago later this month, probably trying to calm growing criticism about their secretive operations.

13 / 15

Democratic candidate Alex Martinez defended taking Fairshake cash on March 11, saying he supports innovation and economic growth through progressive policies.

14 / 15

State lawmakers introduced transparency legislation March 12 targeting out-of-state PAC contributions.

15 / 15

The FEC will review Fairshake's recent filings soon, but any enforcement actions remain unclear and probably won't happen before November elections.

The Currency Analytics

Want the full story?