Fairshake backs 32 House candidates after crypto bill stalls

The Senate’s September vote stalled the CLARITY Act, a proposed federal framework for digital asset markets. On Oct. 5, crypto political group Fairshake named 32 House candidates it plans to support in the November midterms, according to The Associated Press.

The campaign money is aimed at keeping lawmakers who backed the bill in office as the industry looks to Congress for another route to rules for digital assets.

Who gets the $1 million commitments?

Six candidates, three Democrats and three Republicans, are set to receive $1 million in support each, Fairshake told AP. They are Democrats Janelle Bynum of Oregon, Steven Horsford of Nevada and Derek Tran of California, and Republicans French Hill of Arkansas, Bryan Steil of Wisconsin and Bill Huizenga of Michigan.

The group named 26 additional House candidates, bringing its slate to 19 Republicans and 13 Democrats. Fairshake did not disclose how much it plans to spend on those other races, according to AP.

What connects the candidates to the stalled bill?

All 32 supported the industry-backed market-structure legislation, AP reported. The House passed its version in July 2025, but the bill languished in the Senate, where lawmakers did not reach agreement on ethics guardrails and other provisions. The Senate blocked it in September.

The bill, known as the CLARITY Act, sought to establish a federal regulatory framework and divide oversight of digital assets between federal regulators. Crypto firms have argued that clearer rules would help the growth of blockchain finance, according to Roll Call’s report on Fairshake’s House slate.

How much could Fairshake spend beyond those six races?

The $6 million in commitments to the six named lawmakers is the only amount Fairshake has specified for the 32 House contests. Spokesperson Geoff Vetter did not say how much the group would spend across the full slate, Roll Call reported.

AP reported that Fairshake and affiliated PACs had about $120 million in cash on hand at the end of August. The group has also announced plans to spend nearly $30 million against Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown in Ohio, making its eventual House and Senate allocation an open question.

Vetter described Fairshake as an issue-focused group backing candidates from both parties who support crypto. For voters, the slate means outside campaign spending will reach races in both parties; for the industry, it is a bid to keep supporters in Congress after the bill stalled and leave a path open for future legislation.

Sources

• The Associated Press — apnews.com
• Roll Call’s report on Fairshake’s House slate — rollcall.com