Crypto's Midterm Maneuver: Mobilizing the 'Digital Donkey' and 'Digital Elephant' in Two Critical Districts

Fresh off its 2024 wins, the Coinbase-funded advocacy army known as Stand With Crypto (SWC) has rolled out its battle plan for the 2026 midterms. Its primary objective? To marshal the crypto electorate in key US races, with a laser focus on the political trenches of Ohio and Pennsylvania.

SWC has declared its 2026 political warzone will span Iowa, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, backing candidates friendly to the industry. The group asserts that "crypto voters represent a meaningful and potentially decisive share of the electorate" in these states, a bloc that could swing races faster than a memecoin rug pull.

The prime targets are Ohio’s 9th and Pennsylvania’s 10th districts. SWC is taking aim at the sitting politicians, Democrat Marcy Kaptur and Republican Scott Perry, pointing to their "concerning records on crypto policy." Perry voted against the GENIUS Act in 2025, while Kaptur voted against the payment stablecoins bill and the CLARITY market structure bill—votes that, in crypto parlance, are about as popular as a network congestion fee.

The strategy involves an "aggressive, get-out-the-vote effort" deploying paid digital ads, direct mail, targeted SMS blasts, and digital organizing across email and social media. Its platform acts as a political blockchain, immutably recording candidates' crypto policy stances based on public statements, voting records, and questionnaire responses—no forking allowed.

Launched in 2023 to "unite global crypto advocates," SWC is just one of several crypto-focused groups gearing up to sway 2026 voters. The group tallied roughly 270 "pro-crypto" candidates who secured House and Senate seats in 2024, many of whom will be defending their political positions—and their seats—once again.

Back in November 2025, SWC hinted that a lawmaker's vote on a crucial crypto market structure bill could become a major factor in their reelection campaign. A February survey of 1,000 crypto holders found 74% would be more likely to support a candidate backing clearer crypto regulations, proving that for this cohort, policy positions are more important than party lines.

The financial firepower from crypto industry PACs like Fairshake is already beginning to shape the 2026 primary landscape. Its affiliate, Protect Progress, dropped $1.5 million opposing the reelection of Texas Representative Al Green. Green now faces a runoff against Christian Menefee, whom SWC rates as "strongly supports crypto"—a rating that’s basically the political equivalent of a blue checkmark in certain circles.

Over in Illinois, Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton clinched the Democratic Senate primary even after crypto-aligned lobbyists spent millions backing her opponent, Raja Krishnamoorthi. Stratton is now the favorite to win the general election, demonstrating that even a well-funded opposition can sometimes get front-run.

Ohio witnessed a deluge of crypto industry cash in 2024 in an effort to oust Senator Sherrod Brown. Although Brown ultimately lost to Bernie Moreno, he announced plans for a 2025 comeback tour. Former Ohio Representative Tim Ryan, a member of the Coinbase Global Advisory Council, dryly predicted, "there will be a s–tload of money spent here again," a forecast as reliable as the four-year Bitcoin halving cycle.