Financeupdated 47m ago2 min read
FEC Outage Hits Fairshake And Other Crypto Super PAC Filings Before 2026 Midterms
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FEC filing system outage, reportedly due to a hack, obscures crypto PAC spending before midterms. Crypto political groups have spent about $176 million across more than 100 races.
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FEC outage clouds filings
The US Federal Election Commission reported an "electronic filing system outage" on Tuesday as super political action committees and other groups were expected to ramp up spending before the 2026 midterm elections. The FEC said it was continuing to experience an "electronic filing system outage" as of Tuesday at 7:48 pm UTC, while it worked to resolve the issue.
FEC filings showed no expenditures from the cryptocurrency industry-aligned Super PACs Fairshake, Defend American Jobs, Protect Progress, Fellowship and Digital Freedom Fund since Sunday, with just six days until Election Day. The Cointelegraph account said the FEC website was targeted by a hacker or hackers, and an FEC spokesperson told Cointelegraph that its IT staff were "actively working to restore service."
Spending totals and donors
Fairshake and affiliated committees accounted for approximately $150.8 million of the spending, and Ohio’s Senate contest attracted more than $68 million in crypto-related election spending. Reuters analysis of campaign finance reports showed ultra-wealthy cryptocurrency executives collectively contributed more than $56 million during the 2025-2026 election cycle so far.
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, founders of Gemini, each gave close to $13 million during this election cycle, and Winklevoss Capital Fund donated $21.3 million to the Digital Freedom Fund. Crypto News said Fairshake and affiliated committees accounted for approximately $150.8 million of the spending, and it said Ohio’s Senate contest attracted more than $68 million in crypto-related election spending.
Ohio race and regulatory push
Fairshake-aligned organizations invested heavily in opposing Sherrod Brown’s return to Congress, and Reuters advertising data showed more than $68 million directed toward the Senate race between Brown and Jon Husted. An October 16 report documented more than $46 million in spending by Defend American Jobs against Brown and in support of Husted, and a separate Winklevoss-backed political committee had reported nearly $6 million in related Ohio expenditures.
Digital Freedom Fund, a PAC launched by Gemini co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, reported on Sunday that it had spent more than $572,000 on text messages to support various Republican Senate candidates. Lawmakers in Congress failed to advance a crypto market structure bill in September, and Fairshake and other industry advocates supported the reelection of those who voted in favor of the legislation.