Crypto Industry Spends Big to Block Sherrod Brown's Return to US Senate

A political action committee (PAC) backed by the cryptocurrency industry has spent over $11 million on ads opposing Democrat Sherrod Brown in Ohio's US Senate race. The Defend American Jobs PAC, affiliated with Coinbase and Ripple Labs-backed group Fairshake, reported spending $11.4 million to support Republican Jon Husted and block Brown's potential return to the Senate.

The ad buys are part of Fairshake's pledge to initially spend $30 million in the Ohio race, aiming to counter Brown's previous efforts as chair of the Senate Banking Committee against pro-crypto legislation and policies.

Brown told Cointelegraph in August 2025 that his goal is to ensure cryptocurrency expands opportunity and lifts up Ohioans without putting them at risk. In 2024, the Ohio Senate race between Brown and Republican Bernie Moreno resulted in over $300 million in spending from outside groups like Fairshake.

While the crypto industry's influence on Ohio politics extends beyond this election, with Vivek Ramaswamy's gubernatorial campaign receiving support from co-founders of World Liberty Financial, a Trump family-backed company, the focus remains on blocking Brown's return to the Senate.