Crypto-Backed GOP Candidate Wins Alabama Senate Runoff with June Primaries Looming

Several more US states are scheduled to hold primaries next week after one Republican candidate won in Alabama on Tuesday after a crypto company-backed PAC used what it called its “biggest spend of the cycle.”

More than $12 million in crypto-aligned political action committee (PAC) media buys helped propel Barry Moore to victory in Tuesday's Alabama Republican US Senate runoff over Barry Moore.

The runoff was necessary after neither candidate was able to secure a majority of the vote on May 19, Moore will be the Republican candidate for a US Senate seat in Alabama, facing off against Democrat Everett Wess. Moore won with 55.8% of the vote to Hudson’s 44.2%, giving him an opportunity to replace outgoing Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville.

Filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) showed that the Defend American Jobs PAC, a committee affiliated with the cryptocurrency company-backed Fairshake, spent more than $12 million on media and ads to back Moore’s candidacy in the May 19 primary and Tuesday’s runoff. The Coinbase-affiliated advocacy organization Stand With Crypto rated Moore as “strongly supports crypto,” based on public statements and his voting record while representing Alabama’s 1st Congressional district.

“Our biggest spend of the cycle yielded yet another pro-innovation champion in the Senate, and with nearly $150 million cash on hand we are ready to continue driving the construction of the largest pro-crypto caucus in history,” said Fairshake spokesperson Geoff Vetter.

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Based on Vetter’s statement, Fairshake and its affiliates may have spent more than $40 million across several US states in an attempt to support what it considers “pro-crypto” candidates for the next session of Congress. The PAC reported holding a $193 million war chest as of January.

The Alabama runoff was the latest vote that's seen industry PACs spending millions of dollars on media for candidates facing primaries in several US states, including South Carolina, Texas, California, South Dakota and New Jersey. Fairshake affiliate Protect Progress also reported spending about $5.2 million and $587,000 in media buys for House seats, respectively, for Maryland Democrat Adrian Boafo and fellow party member Ritchie Torres in New York, scheduled to hold primaries on June 23.

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