Crypto Lobby Floods Michigan Primary with $2M Ad Blitz

A crypto-backed political action committee has significantly increased its spending in Michigan's congressional primary election. Protect Progress PAC, an affiliate of Fairshake operation, has spent over $2 million on ads supporting incumbent Rep. Shri Thanedar and opposing challenger Donavan McKinney.

The latest FEC filing shows the committee added nearly $884,240 in ad buys supporting Thanedar and more than $150,000 aimed at opposing McKinney. This influx nearly doubled the amount Protect Progress had reported just a week earlier, signaling a rapid acceleration in the final stretch of the campaign.

Protect Progress has concentrated its firepower on a race where the candidates have starkly different positions on digital asset legislation. The committee's spending is designed to boost Thanedar, whose legislative record includes votes in favor of the GENIUS Act and the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act.