A political action committee connected to the crypto industry has reported spending $11.4 million on advertising to support Republican Jon Husted and oppose Democrat Sherrod Brown in Ohio’s US Senate race.
The spending was disclosed in a filing with the Federal Election Commission and appears to be an early part of Fairshake’s planned intervention in the contest. Fairshake, a crypto-aligned political group backed largely by Coinbase and Ripple Labs, previously pledged an initial $30 million for media in Ohio.
The campaign places cryptocurrency policy at the center of a closely watched Senate contest. Brown, who is seeking a return to the chamber, was formerly chair of the Senate Banking Committee and has been one of Congress’s more outspoken critics of pro-crypto legislation and policies. The industry’s political groups are seeking to prevent his return.
According to Cointelegraph, the expenditure was reported by the Defend American Jobs PAC, which is affiliated with Fairshake. The filing said the PAC had spent $11.4 million on media supporting Husted and opposing Brown.
A renewed fight over crypto policy
The Ohio race echoes the industry’s political spending during the 2024 election. Brown was then an incumbent senator and faced Republican Bernie Moreno. Outside groups, including Fairshake, spent more than $300 million in that race, while the crypto-aligned PAC and its affiliates alone spent about $41 million against Brown and in support of Moreno.
Moreno won that election with 50.2% of the vote, compared with Brown’s 46.4%. The latest advertising effort suggests that crypto-focused political organizations continue to view Ohio as an important arena for influencing the future direction of digital-asset regulation in Washington.
Brown has not described himself as opposed to cryptocurrency generally. In an August 2025 statement quoted by Cointelegraph, he said crypto was becoming more common in the US economy and in Ohio. He added that his objective was to ensure its growth expanded opportunity and benefited Ohio residents without putting them at risk.
The distinction is important to the political debate. Supporters of crypto-friendly legislation generally seek clearer rules for digital-asset companies and products, while critics have emphasized consumer protection and financial risks. The source material does not identify the specific claims made in the advertisements.
Husted campaign responds
Jon Husted’s campaign welcomed the political pressure on Brown. Amy Natoce, a spokesperson for Husted, said the Democratic candidate was facing an “onslaught of ads coming his way” and argued that Ohio voters had already rejected Brown once.
Brown’s campaign was contacted for comment but had not provided an immediate response at the time of the report.
Husted currently holds the Senate seat after being appointed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. The seat became vacant when JD Vance left it after being elected US vice president in 2024.
The reported spending does not represent the full amount Fairshake has pledged for the race. The group’s initial commitment was $30 million, meaning the disclosed $11.4 million accounts for part of its planned media campaign rather than the entire effort.
Other crypto-linked activity in Ohio
Crypto-industry political involvement extends beyond the Senate contest. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, co-founder of digital-asset management company Strive, won the Republican nomination for Ohio governor in May 2026. He is due to face Democrat Amy Acton in November.
Ramaswamy was a Republican candidate for president in 2024 and frequently spoke favorably about cryptocurrency and blockchain. His campaign has received maximum individual contributions of $16,615 from Chase Herro, Zak Folkman and Zachary Witkoff, three co-founders of the Trump family’s crypto company, World Liberty Financial.
His political action committee, V-PAC: Victors, Not Victims, also received $20 million from Susquehanna International Group co-founder Jeff Yass, $6 million from NYDIG founder Ross Stevens and $5,000 from the Bitcoin Voter Project.
These contributions and the Senate advertising demonstrate the range of crypto-related political spending in Ohio, from direct campaign support to independent advertising by PACs. The reported expenditures are political activity and do not indicate how voters will decide the races.
Moneyiar market picture
Moneyiar market data recorded at the specified times on Sept. 25, 2026, showed mixed performance among the listed digital assets:
- Ethena (ENA): $0.2621577355, up 17.35% over 24 hours and 54.44% over seven days.
- Celestia (TIA): $0.4867139795, down 0.87% over 24 hours but up 20.03% over seven days.
- edgeX (EDGE): $0.552583551, down 1.82% over 24 hours and 4.82% over seven days.
- AKEDO (AKE): $0.0322406544, down 9.78% over 24 hours and 27.87% over seven days.
The market figures are separate from the Ohio political spending and provide a snapshot of the selected assets at the stated times.
