Crypto Exchanges

Story: Protect Progress Doubles Spend to $2M Backing Thanedar in Michigan’s 13th District

By Bruce Buterin

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Fairshake's War Chest and the Bigger Picture. Protect Progress doesn't operate alone. It's an affiliate of Fairshake PAC, which spent over $170…

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Alabama and Washington Join the Spending Map. In Alabama's 1st congressional district, Fairshake's Defend American Jobs PAC has spent more than…

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A crypto-backed PAC just dropped another $884,000 into Michigan's 13th Congressional District race — and it's not slowing down.

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The new Federal Election Commission filings show the $884,240 figure as a fresh injection, basically doubling what the PAC had already committed within a single week.

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He's pushed back hard, arguing the crypto lobby is basically rewarding Thanedar for helping former President Trump profit from his crypto holdings.

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Protect Progress doesn't operate alone. It's an affiliate of Fairshake PAC, which spent over $170 million during the 2024 election cycle backing crypto-friendly candidates.

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And Michigan is just one piece of it. Fairshake's affiliate network has been active in Texas and Illinois too, targeting races where the outcome could tilt toward candidates who…

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Not every race is as high-profile as Thanedar's, but the dollar figures elsewhere are still notable.

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Related: Tillis and Gallego Send White House a Crypto Ethics Fix to Unlock 60 Votes

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In Alabama's 1st congressional district, Fairshake's Defend American Jobs PAC has spent more than $511,000 on media campaigns supporting Jerry Carl Jr.

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Washington State's 4th congressional district is also on the map. Defend American Jobs PAC put over $65,000 into media support for a Republican candidate there — smaller than…

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The pattern is pretty consistent. Fairshake and its affiliates identify candidates who've shown a willingness to vote for crypto-related bills, then funnel money in before…

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What's less clear is how voters in places like Michigan's 13th are actually responding. The district has its own economic concerns, and whether crypto PAC money becomes a…

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Fairshake's affiliates spent over $170 million in 2024 and won a lot of those races. The crypto industry didn't build a $193 million war chest to lose it quietly.

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Protect Progress has spent more than $150,000 opposing McKinney directly, with total pro-Thanedar spending now past $2 million.

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