Crypto PAC Scales Back Ad Spending in Massachusetts Primary

A crypto-backed political action committee (PAC) called Fairshake has scaled back its ad spending in Massachusetts's primary election. The PAC, which is affiliated with Protect Progress PAC, spent just over $189,000 on media to support Representative Jake Auchincloss running for reelection in the state's 4th congressional district.

This is part of Fairshake's efforts to influence the 2026 elections with funds from the crypto industry. In the 2024 election cycle, the PAC poured more than $130 million into ads and media. The current spending supports Auchincloss, who has accepted $77,500 directly from 'crypto-industry sources' since 2020.

Auchincloss's opponent in the primary, Jason Poulos, has called on him to publicly renounce Protect Progress' efforts to potentially influence the primary and general election. Poulos pointed out that Auchincloss voted for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act in July 2025, a market structure bill awaiting consideration in the Senate.