Fairshake affiliates step up House race spending ahead of U.S. midterms

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Fairshake steps up House race spending

Highlights

Fairshake affiliates Defend American Jobs and Protect Progress report combined $2.7 million media spending backing bipartisan U.S. House candidates ahead of 2026 midterms.
Recent FEC filings show over $1 million spent supporting Representatives Pete Aguilar and Josh Gottheimer, and over $70,000 each for Tom Emmer and Glenn Thompson.
Fairshake PAC holds $122 million cash on hand and targets pro-crypto lawmakers, focusing support on those who backed the failed Digital Asset Market Clarity Act in 2025.

FEC filings detail latest ad and mail push

As reported by Cointelegraph, citing U.S. Federal Election Commission filings, Fairshake affiliates Defend American Jobs and Protect Progress report a combined $2.7 million in media spending to back Democratic and Republican candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026.

The reported expenditures include more than $76,000 supporting House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, $73,000 for House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn Thompson, $512,000 for California Representative Pete Aguilar and $500,000 for New Jersey Representative Josh Gottheimer. The spending covers media placements and direct mail production, with the country’s midterm elections less than a month away.

The filings come only days after Fairshake says it plans to endorse 32 additional House candidates in 2026, including six slated to receive $1 million each in supportive media. None of those six appear in the latest Defend American Jobs and Protect Progress expenditures, though incumbents including Emmer, Aguilar, Gottheimer and Thompson are on the broader endorsement list.

Crypto policy stakes shape election strategy

As of August, a Fairshake spokesperson says the PAC has $122 million in cash on hand as part of a strategy to elect more pro-crypto candidates to Congress. That effort also includes opposing former banking committee chair Sherrod Brown in Ohio’s Senate race, with at least $30 million allocated for media buys.

All of the candidates targeted by the latest Fairshake spending voted for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act in 2025, legislation intended to establish market structure rules for the cryptocurrency industry and expand the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s oversight and enforcement role. The bill passes the House with bipartisan support but fails on a procedural vote in the Senate in September.

Stand With Crypto, a Coinbase-backed initiative that scores lawmakers on public statements and voting records related to the sector, warns after the failed CLARITY vote that candidates who do not advance the legislation could face consequences in the midterms. The group is attempting to mobilize crypto-focused U.S. voters in the upcoming election, echoing its activity in the 2024 races.

Our earlier report on Elon Musk’s 2026 midterm election spending detailed how he was channeling hundreds of millions of dollars into Republican-aligned groups across Senate, House, and state-level races. The article highlighted the scale and timing of the donations, including large transfers to leading GOP super PACs, and noted the heightened political and business stakes as control of Congress hangs in the balance.

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