Ethereum Dev Running for Congress Will Accept Your Donation in Bitcoin, ETH, or Trump Meme Coins

Joe Schiarizzi wants to be America's first crypto developer-turned-congressman, and he really wants your vote. And your ETH. And your Fartcoin. Because apparently, when you're running for office on a crypto platform, you accept all the valid chains—except maybe the ones that rug you.

The 30-year-old Ethereum developer launched his campaign Thursday to run as a Democratic House candidate in Virginia's 7th congressional district. Schiarizzi previously worked for Consensys, Gitcoin, and OpenSea, giving him actual hands-on experience building the decentralized tools Congress has spent years debating without understanding. You know, actual DeFi credentials instead of just being a congressman who discovered Bitcoin three months ago at a fundraiser.

But this isn't your typical pro-crypto candidate. Schiarizzi is an outspoken critic of President Trump and takes serious issue with the current administration's numerous crypto ventures. "This is the most corrupt administration in American history," he told Decrypt. "And we need to get serious about accountability." Which, given the administration's track record of turning White House appearances into token launches, is a take that tracks.

The 30-year-old argues crypto was born in the wake of 2008 as a tool to stand up to corporate interests and protect everyday people. In his view, the technology should return to those roots rather than being prominently associated with the Trump family's self-enrichment schemes. Think Satoshi's original vision meets "actually reading the whitepaper" energy.

"Those are things I think most Americans can get behind, and that doesn't have to do with meme coin scams like the president launched," Schiarizzi said. The president, of course, being the guy who figured out that going to Washington was just another path to a market cap.

He's also unimpressed by the new wave of pro-crypto lawmakers in Congress. Schiarizzi suspects they're only now embracing the industry to chase super PAC dollars rather than actually understanding the technology. "They just want a check and they don't understand the actual good that these technologies can do for our society if they're regulated well," he said. The vibes-based regulatory approach has been fun, but maybe someone who can read Solidity should be in the room.

If elected, Schiarizzi would push for simpler crypto tax requirements, legal exemptions for common tools, and expanded stablecoin reserve options including municipal bonds. He also wants to tokenize renewable energy certificates and enable private, on-chain doctor payments. Finally, someone who wants to solve for gas fees at the doctor's office,