Crypto's $189M Lobby Splurge Buys a Primary Win — and a Polling Problem 🗳️

Manny Rutinel, a Democratic candidate running to represent Colorado's 8th congressional district, won his party's primary with 61.7% of the vote against Shannon Bird's 33.6%, according to early results reported on Wednesday. The outcome followed $1 million in media spending by the You Can Push Back Super PAC, which is backed by $3.5 million from Ripple Labs co-founder Chris Larsen. Rutinel holds a "strongly supports crypto" rating from the Coinbase-affiliated Stand With Crypto organization, based on his responses to questions about stablecoins, market structure, and regulatory clarity.

Rutinel's primary win came as Public Citizen reported on Tuesday that the cryptocurrency industry had spent approximately $189 million on contributions aimed at influencing the 2026 US elections, largely through political action committees. Coinbase is also a major contributor to the Fairshake PAC, which supports what it considers "pro-crypto" Democratic and Republican candidates for Congress. Cointelegraph reached out to a spokesperson for You Can Push Back but did not receive an immediate response.

Public concern over the industry's political footprint is also rising. A poll commissioned by Americans for Financial Reform and released on Wednesday found that a majority of Americans across Democratic, Republican, and Independent affiliations are concerned about crypto-related laws being influenced by industry donations. The release followed financial disclosures showing that US President Donald Trump profited by more than $1.4 billion from his crypto investments. "Voters have seen serious crypto corruption and high ranking government officials raking in profits while everyday people experience crypto-fueled losses and scams," said Mark Hays, associate director of crypto and fintech at Americans for Financial Reform. White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said on Tuesday that neither Trump nor his family "has ever engaged — or will ever engage — in conflicts of interest."

Americans for Financial Reform concluded that voters were likely to agree the crypto industry needs sensible regulation. Rutinel now heads to the November general election for Colorado's 8th district.