Fairshake Affiliate Drops $1M to Shield Michigan's Most Crypto-Curious Congressman 💸

Protect Progress, a political action committee affiliated with the crypto-aligned Fairshake network, poured more than $986,000 into Michigan's 13th congressional district Democratic primary by Tuesday, according to Federal Election Commission filings. The spending, totaling roughly $1 million when final media buys are tallied, is backing incumbent Representative Shri Thanedar against challenger Donavan McKinney ahead of the Aug. 4 primary.

The expenditure mirrors Protect Progress' 2024 playbook, when the PAC spent about $1 million helping Thanedar secure 54.9% of the Democratic primary vote and 68.6% of the general election vote against Republican and third-party opponents. Fairshake and its affiliates collectively reported holding $191 million to deploy across competitive races this cycle. Thanedar, who voted in favor of the CLARITY Act, GENIUS Act and Promoting Innovation in Blockchain Development Act during his House tenure, also reportedly lost more than $600,000 in the second quarter of 2026 after directing $3.7 million of campaign funds into crypto companies.

McKinney responded to the ad spending with a Tuesday statement declaring, "Shri has voted for every bill [Donald] Trump and the crypto lobby have brought to Congress," and adding that "the crypto lobby is paying my opponent back for helping Trump make over $1 billion since taking office." McKinney has not previously run against Thanedar and had not made significant public statements on digital assets, per available records.

Beyond Michigan, Protect Progress spent more than $100,000 on media supporting Representative Greg Stanton's reelection in Arizona's 4th congressional district. Stanton, another CLARITY and GENIUS supporter, won his Tuesday primary with 65% of the vote. In Washington state, where primaries are also scheduled for Aug. 4, FEC filings show the Fairshake-affiliated Defend American Jobs PAC spent more than $65,000 backing Republican Amanda McKinney, who has publicly supported crypto, in the 4th district.

Fairshake's broader coalition includes Fellowship, backed by Cantor Fitzgerald and Anchorage Digital, and the Blockchain Leadership Fund, a hybrid PAC backed by Anchorage and Chainlink Labs, all positioning to shape the next US Congress with candidates aligned with the digital asset industry.