Crypto Exchanges
By Sakamoto Nashi
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Thanedar, McKinney, and the Crypto Vote. To put the money in perspective: McKinney's own campaign had disbursed $1.23 million as of mid-July.
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The $189 Million Picture Behind One District. Michigan's 13th isn't an isolated play. It's one piece of a much larger operation.
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A super PAC with deep crypto ties has now crossed $2 million in spending inside a single Michigan congressional district.
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Protect Progress, the PAC in question, is backing Democratic incumbent Shri Thanedar in Michigan's 13th Congressional District while spending to knock out his challenger, Donavan…
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Thanedar supported both the GENIUS Act and the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. He sees those bills as moves toward cleaner regulations and stronger consumer protections for the…
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McKinney's camp isn't buying it. He's called out Thanedar for taking backing from what he describes as the "crypto lobby," framing it as a reward for votes aligned with Donald…
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More context: Protect Progress Doubles Spend to $2M Backing Thanedar in Michigans 13th District
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Fairshake-linked groups have collectively spent over $82 million during the 2026 election cycle, per watchdog group Public Citizen.
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The strategy is pretty consistent across races: find candidates who are friendly to digital asset legislation, spend heavily to get them through primaries, and build a more…
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As of July 31, more than 1.03 million Michigan residents had already cast ballots, with early voting running through August 2.
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Not all of Protect Progress's last-minute buys may show up immediately in the FEC's independent expenditure table.
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No notable reaction from crypto markets has been tied to the Michigan race. That's probably not surprising — a single House primary, even a well-funded one, isn't the kind of…
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Related: Fake IRS Letters Are Draining Crypto Wallets — Heres the Infrastructure Behind It
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What happens after the primary matters too. If Thanedar wins, it'll be read as a validation of the Fairshake model — spend big in primaries, shape the field before the general…
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The FEC will keep releasing data. Amendments will follow. And the final tally of what Protect Progress actually dropped in Michigan's 13th will probably look different — likely…
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