Winklevoss Twins Drop $2.9 Million Bombshell in Ohio Senate Race
The Winklevoss twins have made their presence felt in Ohio's Senate race, spending over $2.9 million on ads and mailers in a single day. The Digital Freedom Fund, their super PAC, disclosed the massive expenditure on or around September 30, targeting Republican Senator Jon Husted and Democratic challenger Sherrod Brown.
The money is not just an attack campaign; half of it went toward supporting Husted, while the other half focused on opposing Brown. This marks the Digital Freedom Fund's first major financial commitment in the contest. The PAC's war chest has a clear origin story: the twins' venture capital arm invested $21 million, and Payward, the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, added another $1 million.
The ads from the Digital Freedom Fund lean on traditional political themes rather than specific crypto issues, blurring the line between industry advocacy and partisan campaigning. The Winklevoss twins are not alone in this effort; other crypto-aligned super PACs, including Fairshake and Defend American Jobs, have pledged tens of millions of dollars to challenge Brown.
Brown is a three-term senator who once chaired the Senate Banking Committee and has been known for his critical stance on the crypto industry. He lost his reelection bid in 2024 due to opposing spending from the crypto sector, which totaled around $40 to $41 million. Now he's attempting a comeback, but the incoming wave of opposition money may change the outcome.