Crypto Super PAC Launches $30 Million Campaign Against Sherrod Brown After Clarity Act Defeat

The crypto industry is escalating its political spending after the Clarity Act stalled in the Senate.Industry-backed super PAC Fairshake is preparing a $30 million campaign against Democratic Ohio Senate candidate Sherrod Brown.The spending marks Fairshake’s biggest midterm push yet and comes as the industry reassesses its political strategy following on crypto market structure legislation.Why Fairshake Is Turning the HeatFairshake plans to begin the campaign Tuesday with advertising and direct mail targeting Brown, The New York Times reported.Brown, a former senator and longtime crypto skeptic, is challenging Republican Sen. Jon Husted in a closely watched Ohio Senate race.The crypto PAC previously spent $41 million targeting Brown during the 2024 election, when he chaired the Senate Banking Committee. Brown ultimately lost that race.Fairshake and two affiliated groups now hold a combined $120.4 million war chest, according to federal filings cited by NYT.The PAC has already spent more than $68 million supporting or opposing congressional primary candidates this election cycle. The group said additional spending in House and Senate races will be announced, including support for candidates from both parties.Clarity Act Defeat Raises StakesThe spending push follows the Senate’s failure to advance the Clarity Act last week.Every Senate Democrat opposed advancing the legislation, alongside several Republicans.Brown, meanwhile, has softened his public rhetoric around crypto during his latest campaign. He told NYT last month that crypto has a role in the economy but maintained that no industry should be allowed to write its own regulations.The bill is a major crypto-industry priority because it would establish a clearer federal regulatory framework for digital assets and divide oversight responsibilities between the SEC and CFTC.Fairshake had previously backed Democratic Sens. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, both of whom voted against advancing the bill.Image: Shutterstock Read Also: