Stand With Crypto, a group backed by Coinbase, has revealed its first midterm endorsements, picking three Republicans and two Democrats for November’s elections one month before the vote and two weeks after the Clarity Act collapsed in the Senate.
The group announced Senate and House picks Wednesday. Its first Senate endorsements are Republican Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio, Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa, and Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire. Stand With Crypto endorses candidates regardless of party based on crypto policy positions.
The group also backed House candidates Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican from Iowa, and Shomari Figures, a Democrat from Alabama. Stand With Crypto will ramp up advertising in six House campaigns, building on its August endorsement of 32 House incumbents.
The Clarity Act Collapse
The Clarity Act failed to advance in the Senate 49-50 vote last month, with Democrats voting as a bloc over concerns about President Donald Trump’s crypto dealings. Stand With Crypto warned at the time that senators’ votes would be added to its public scorecard and that its supporters would judge lawmakers at the ballot box.
Executive Director Mason Lynaugh said the group’s more than three million advocates are now fully focused on electing pro-crypto candidates. Stand With Crypto does not make direct campaign contributions but focuses on voter mobilization and candidate grading through its Voter Hub.
Money Behind the Picks
Fairshake, a super PAC aligned with crypto interests, launched a $30 million spending blitz against longtime crypto skeptic Sherrod Brown, the former Senate Banking Committee chair who faces Husted in Ohio. Combined crypto-aligned political spending has approached roughly $200 million for the 2026 cycle.
What the Group Says
Stand With Crypto frames its endorsements as non-partisan. Its scorecard tracks candidates by crypto policy positions, not party labels.
Lynaugh said the group’s advocates are fully focused on electing pro-crypto candidates.
The Numbers
- Clarity Act vote: 49-50 in the Senate
- Fairshake spending: $30 million against Brown
- Combined crypto spending: approaching $200 million for 2026
- Stand With Crypto advocates: more than three million
| Endorsement | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Jon Husted | Republican | Senator |
| Ashley Hinson | Republican | Representative |
| Chris Pappas | Democrat | Representative |
| Mariannette Miller-Meeks | Republican | Representative |
| Shomari Figures | Democrat | Representative |
The endorsements come after a defeat for crypto interests. The Clarity Act’s collapse showed how divided the Senate remains on digital assets.
Stand With Crypto is betting its base can overcome that split.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs the right candidate on crypto policy issue by issue against its north star, individual freedom, small business and no concentrations of power, and is against treating politics as a horse race between two machines that both gather power. That standard applies here too, even as the Clarity Act’s failure shows how divided the Senate remains on digital assets.
Stand With Crypto’s endorsements cross party lines and track crypto policy positions, not party labels. That approach respects individual freedom while avoiding the concentration of power in one party. The group’s scorecard and voter mobilization work are transparent, though its super PAC allies have spent heavily against Sherrod Brown.
The paper’s north star holds steady through this election season. The reader should watch for how these endorsements play out at the ballot box, and whether crypto interests can unite behind a shared vision across party lines.
Source material: “Coinbase-Backed Crypto Group Reveals Midterm Endorsements After Clarity Act Collapse,” Decrypt.
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