Protect Progress PAC increases spending in Michigan House primary

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Protect Progress PAC in Michigan primary

Highlights

Protect Progress PAC spent over $2 million on media in Michigan's House primary, almost doubling last week's total with $884,240 supporting Thanedar and over $150,000 opposing McKinney.
Fairshake, backed by major crypto firms like Ripple Labs and Coinbase, and its affiliates have already spent more than $82 million in the 2026 election cycle out of a reported $193 million war chest.
PAC-backed spending has spread from Michigan to Texas, Illinois, Washington, and Alabama, with $65,000 for Washington's 4th District GOP and over $511,000 for Alabama's Jerry Carl Jr.

FEC filings show expanded crypto-backed ad campaign

As reported by Cointelegraph, citing the Federal Election Commission, Protect Progress PAC had spent more than a combined $2 million on media as of Thursday to support Thanedar and oppose McKinney in the Michigan race.

The latest filings nearly double the amount reported a week earlier, adding $884,240 in support of Thanedar and more than $150,000 in ads against McKinney. Protect Progress is affiliated with Fairshake, a PAC funded largely by contributions from cryptocurrency companies including Ripple Labs and Coinbase.

Thanedar has backed several crypto-related measures during his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, including the stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act and the Digital Asset Market Clarity, CLARITY, Act, which is under consideration in the Senate. He also cosponsored the Promoting Innovation in Blockchain Development Act, aimed at protecting developers.

In a July 21 statement, McKinney said the crypto lobby was rewarding his opponent for helping President Donald Trump profit from crypto while in office. The comment appeared to reference Trump's disclosure that he earned more than $1.4 billion from crypto investments in 2025, including from his memecoin, Official Trump, TRUMP, and his family's business, World Liberty Financial.

Michigan race adds to broader 2026 election push

Fairshake and its affiliates are already deploying money across multiple 2026 congressional contests as primary season advances. The Michigan primary is scheduled for Tuesday, while PAC-backed spending is also appearing in races in Texas, Illinois and other states.

Public Citizen said in June that Fairshake and its affiliates accounted for more than $82 million of the roughly $189 million spent by crypto companies in the 2026 election cycle. Fairshake reported a $193 million war chest as of January, underscoring the sector's growing role in campaign finance.

Outside Michigan, another Fairshake affiliate, Defend American Jobs PAC, spent more than $65,000 on media to support a Republican candidate in Washington's 4th Congressional District, where primaries are also set for Tuesday. In Alabama, which holds primaries on Aug. 11, the same PAC spent more than $511,000 backing Republican Jerry Carl Jr., a former representative for the state's 1st Congressional District.

Our earlier article covered Trump Media and Technology Group’s launch of the Truth API, a paid data service offering real-time access to market-moving Truth Social posts, including those from @realDonaldTrump. We noted that Democratic senators urged the SEC to examine whether monetizing faster access to the president’s communications could raise securities-law and market-integrity concerns.

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