Melker Bengtsson
TL;DR
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Stand With Crypto has named its first Senate endorsements: Jon Husted, Ashley Hinson and Chris Pappas, Bloomberg Government reports.
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Husted in Ohio is the most expected endorsement, mainly because of who he's running against: Sherrod Brown.
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Fairshake has committed $30 million to make sure Brown does not get elected, after the industry spent $40 million against him in 2024.
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Pappas is the odd one out, but he voted for the CLARITY Act, which is likely what earned him the endorsement.
The first Senate candidates endorsed by Stand With Crypto have been named, Bloomberg Government reports. It's Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH), Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH). Stand With Crypto, the advocacy group founded by Coinbase in 2023, doesn't donate to candidates, only ranks, endorses and runs its own ads.
The Most Expected Endorsement
Husted in Ohio is the most expected endorsement. Mainly because of who he's running against. Sherrod Brown chaired the Senate Banking Committee and worked hard against crypto last time he was a Senator. That fueled the crypto industry to spend $40 million to get him out in 2024.
Last week, Fairshake also committed $30 million to make sure Brown does not get elected. Fairshake's Republican arm, Defend American Jobs, has already reported $11.4 million of that in FEC filings, and the Winklevoss twins' PAC has filed nearly $3 million to make sure Brown does not get that seat.
In 2024, Ohio was also the biggest crypto battleground. Fairshake, the industry super PAC funded by Coinbase, Ripple and Andreessen Horowitz, spent roughly 30% of their total election spending to make sure Brown was not elected. Husted has, since he replaced JD Vance in the Senate, voted for both GENIUS and CLARITY.
Stand With Crypto grades Brown as "strongly against crypto". Brown has softened his tone this cycle, as Patrick Eisenhauer, his campaign manager, said in a statement to Politico that: Sherrod Brown recognizes that cryptocurrency is a part of America's economy.
Jon Husted said about his opponent to the Washington Examiner: [Brown] was the single roadblock to advancing and modernizing our financial systems.
CLARITY Shows Up in Scorecards
Stand With Crypto has warned lawmakers about the consequences of voting no to the CLARITY Act, and that the CLARITY votes would show up in their scorecards. Mason Lynaugh, Stand With Crypto executive director, said that after the CLARITY vote, the group's attention turned to the midterms.
Hinson (IA) and Pappas (NH) are the other two endorsements for the Senate. Pappas is the odd one out. He gets the endorsement despite voting against FIT21 and the anti-CBDC bill in 2024. But he voted for the CLARITY Act when the House passed it in July 2025, which is likely what earned him the endorsement. Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) and Shomari Figures (D-AL) were endorsed for the House in the same announcement.
In 2024, crypto money made a big difference. Anti-crypto loses, was the saying. Let's hope it holds true yet again.
