Crypto Backed PAC Adds Another $1 Million to Michigan Congressional Primary

A political action committee funded largely by Ripple Labs and Coinbase has significantly increased its spending to support Michigan Representative Shri Thanedar in the state’s 13th Congressional District primary. According to FEC filings, Protect Progress PAC has now spent more than $2 million combined on media backing Thanedar and opposing his Democratic challenger, Donavan McKinney, roughly double what it had reported spending just a week earlier.

Thanedar’s Crypto Voting Record in Focus

During his time in Congress, Thanedar supported the stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act and the crypto market structure bill known as the CLARITY Act, while also cosponsoring legislation aimed at protecting blockchain developers. His opponent, McKinney, criticized the PAC spending, linking it to broader concerns about the crypto industry’s influence in politics.

Part of a Larger National Spending Pattern

Protect Progress is affiliated with Fairshake PAC, which spent more than $170 million during the 2024 election cycle supporting crypto-friendly candidates. Public Citizen reported that Fairshake and its affiliates accounted for over $82 million of the roughly $189 million crypto companies spent during the 2026 election cycle so far, with Fairshake holding a reported $193 million war chest as of January.

Other States Also Seeing Crypto PAC Activity

Beyond Michigan, Fairshake affiliate Defend American Jobs PAC has spent over $65,000 supporting a Republican candidate in Washington’s 4th congressional district, with primaries scheduled the same day. In Alabama, the PAC has spent more than $511,000 backing former Congressman Jerry Carl Jr. ahead of the state’s August 11 primary.