Crypto PACs Backed Candidates Win Primaries in Utah, Maryland, and New York

Crypto-backed candidates won primaries in Utah, Maryland and New York after Democrats and one Republican were supported by more than $8 million worth of ads funded by cryptocurrency-aligned political action committees (PACs), setting up candidacies for the November election.

“Maryland State Delegate Adrian Boafo has secured a victory in the Democratic primary for the state’s 5th Congressional District, marking a notable win for a candidate backed by the cryptocurrency industry”

Bitcoin World

In New York, Democrat Ritchie Torres won a primary for the state’s 15th congressional district with 71.9% of the vote, while in Utah, Republican Blake Moore won in the 2nd district with 57.5% of the vote.

Bitcoin World

In Maryland, Protect Progress reported $5.5 million in expenditures to support Adrian Boafo, who won the Democratic primary for Maryland’s 5th district with 32% against other candidates who opposed “spending from crypto billionaires.”

Fairshake spokesperson Geoff Vetter said, “We went big and we went early,” as the PAC reported having “$150 million cash on hand” in June after its spending in several US state primaries.

Maryland State Delegate Adrian Boafo won the Democratic primary for Maryland’s 5th Congressional District, with the Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ calling the race Tuesday night after a crowded primary with more than 20 Democratic candidates.

Protect Progress, a Fairshake-linked super PAC, spent more than $5.5 million in the race, and Geoff Vetter said, “We went big and we went early,” adding, “We did our part to move Adrian Boafo from fifth place to the halls of Congress.”

Cointelegraph

Maryland Matters reported that outside groups spent about $8.8 million supporting Boafo as of June 3, including funds from Protect Progress and the United Democracy Project, a super PAC linked to AIPAC.

Fox News framed the result as a “$10M flood of crypto, pro-Israel money,” saying Boafo’s nomination was aided by millions in outside spending from cryptocurrency and pro-Israel groups.

The crypto-backed primary wins are expected to shape the next phase of the 2026 primary season, with many expecting Fairshake and other crypto-aligned PACs to turn their attention to candidates in Colorado and Arizona next.

“Source: The New York Times Fairshake, which reported having “$150 million cash on hand” in June after its spending in several US state primaries, may have already influenced voters in key elections in its attempts to send candidates to Congress it considers to be “pro-crypto”

Cointelegraph

The two states are scheduled to hold primaries on June 30 and July 21, respectively, but Fairshake affiliates had not disclosed significant spending in any of the races as of Wednesday.

In New York’s 12th District, the crypto-aligned push did not produce a win, as Alex Bores lost to Micah Lasher after Bores criticized him in a June debate over potential benefits from Ripple Labs co-founder Chris Larsen spending $3.5 million.

Cointelegraph added that Fairshake, which reported having “$150 million cash on hand” in June, may have already influenced voters, and it noted that other PACs aligned with crypto interests included Fellowship, backed by Cantor Fitzgerald and Anchorage Digital, and the Blockchain Leadership Fund, a hybrid PAC backed by Anchorage and Chainlink Labs.