Crypto PACs Pour $52M Into Ohio Senate Race to Block Sherrod Brown

Two crypto-aligned political action committees have escalated spending in Ohio's U.S. Senate race, collectively pouring more than $52 million into opposing Democrat Sherrod Brown's political comeback and supporting Republican incumbent Jon Husted. Defend American Jobs, an affiliate of the Fairshake PAC backed primarily by Coinbase and Ripple Labs, reported $46.6 million in media expenditures to the Federal Election Commission on Thursday — a more than 50% increase over the $30 million it initially announced in September. The Digital Freedom Fund, a super PAC created by Gemini co-founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, separately disclosed roughly $3 million in new ad buys this week, bringing its total Ohio media spending to more than $5.9 million.

Brown, a former senator who chaired the Senate Banking Committee, was among the most vocal congressional critics of crypto industry-favored legislation during his tenure. Campaigning on a return to the Senate for the 2026 midterms, he has framed the heavy spending as evidence that the industry's preferred candidates lack independence. "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 in an interview on Pod Save America. "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 in Ohio had been underway for 10 days as of the filing.

Fairshake's total spending has already eclipsed its 2024 midterm efforts, when the PAC deployed $41 million to support Republican Bernie Moreno and oppose Brown during his previous reelection bid. Beyond Ohio, Defend American Jobs reported more than $6.7 million in expenditures targeting Independent candidate Dan Osborn in Nebraska's Senate race, where Republican Pete Ricketts — a backer of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act — is seeking to hold his seat. The coordinated push underscores how crypto industry funding has become a defining force in closely contested races for control of Congress.