Crypto PACs Pour $52M+ Into Ohio Senate Race Against Sherrod Brown

At least two cryptocurrency-aligned political action committees have escalated spending in Ohio's closely watched Senate race, funneling more than $52 million into opposing former Senator Sherrod Brown's political comeback ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, according to Federal Election Commission filings submitted Thursday. The surge represents a more than 50% increase over initial spending commitments announced in September.

Defend American Jobs, an affiliate of the Fairshake PAC—which is primarily backed by Coinbase and Ripple Labs—reported $46.6 million in media expenditures targeting Brown and supporting Republican incumbent Jon Husted. Fairshake had previously announced plans to spend $30 million opposing Brown's return to the Senate. The Digital Freedom Fund, a Super PAC established by Gemini co-founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, added approximately $3 million in ad spending this week, bringing its total Ohio expenditures to over $5.9 million.

Brown, who previously chaired the Senate Banking Committee and emerged as one of Congress's most vocal critics of crypto industry-favored legislation, responded to the attack ads during a Friday interview on Pod Save America. "I've spent my career taking on Wall Street, taking on big pharma, taking on big oil and been successful in many cases," Brown said. "Jon Husted is their boy… They know he's their guy, they know I'm going to hold him accountable and I guess it's a perfect storm, so they spend literally tens and tens of millions of dollars." Early voting has been underway in Ohio for ten days, with Election Day approximately three weeks away.

Fairshake's 2026 spending has already surpassed its $41 million investment in the 2024 Ohio Senate race, when the PAC supported Republican Bernie Moreno and opposed Brown's reelection bid. Beyond Ohio, Defend American Jobs reported more than $6.7 million in expenditures opposing Independent candidate Dan Osborn in Nebraska's Senate race. Osborn is challenging Republican Pete Ricketts, who voted in favor of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act—a key piece of crypto industry legislation.