Cryptocurrency advocacy group releases list of congressional candidates for the U.S. midterm electio

Stand With Cryptocurrency releases political endorsement list for the 2026 midterm elections

Stand With Crypto, an industry advocacy organization launched by Coinbase in 2023, aims to promote what it calls "clear, common sense regulation" and recently announced a new batch of political endorsement candidates on the eve of the next congressional session. The group said it supports key Senate and House race candidates who are believed to be likely to influence the way U.S. lawmakers handle legislation on digital assets.

According to Bloomberg Government News, the "Stand With Crypto" plan supports 2026 Senate candidates, including Ohio Republican Jon Hussted, Iowa Republican Ashley Hinson and New Hampshire Democrat Chris Pappas. The statements come amid uncertainty about whether Democrats can regain control of both houses of Congress in 2027, a factor that will determine the fate of major bills affecting the structure of the crypto market.

Key Points

According to Bloomberg Government News,"Stand With Crypto" is endorsing Senate candidates in 2026, including Ohio's Jon Heusstead, Iowa's Ashley Sinson and New Hampshire's Chris Pappas.

该组织还在支持众议院候选人，点名了爱荷华州的玛丽安内特·米勒-米克斯（Mariannette Miller-Meeks）和阿拉巴马州的肖马里·菲格斯（Shomari Figures）等人。

由于美国参议院本月早些时候未能通过终止辩论动议来推进《CLARITY法案》，该法案的政治势头已成为一个争议焦点。

与加密货币相关的政治支出已经活跃起来，“Fairshake”承诺在俄亥俄州参议院竞选中进行重大支出，并在年中之前在全国范围内进行了更广泛的支出。

为何“Stand With Crypto”此时进行背书

“Stand With Crypto”的选择反映了一种将选举结果与监管优先事项对齐的策略。该组织明确表示的重点包括支持《数字资产市场清晰度法案》（Digital Asset Market Clarity, CLARITY Act），这是一项在国会进展不一的加密市场结构法案。

此前的报道指出，尽管《CLARITY法案》在2025年以两党支持通过了众议院，但在共和党控制的参议院中未能获得足够的支持。作为对这一失败的回应，“Stand With Crypto”警告不支持该法案的立法者可能会面临后果，并将这一刻描绘为未来立法方向的高风险转折点。

《CLARITY法案》及定调的参议院投票

According to a warning issued by Stand With Crypto after the Senate's September 15 results, failure to advance the bill will have a ripple effect on lawmakers. The organization directly linked the issue to election dynamics, arguing that once the votes were counted, encryption policies would no longer be a theoretical issue.

Previous procedural setbacks in the Senate are important because market structure proposals often require continued coalition-building before they can pass committees and the House and eventually become law. Given that the CLARITY Act is positioned as the highest priority by the crypto policy community mentioned in relevant reports, every procedural obstacle may change the timing and bargaining chips of subsequent legislation.

What remains uncertain is how quickly lawmakers will return to the same bill text if the balance of power changes after the 2026 election-or whether they will move to alternatives.

Endorsement and Electoral Control in 2027

The "Stand With Crypto" announcement was released against the backdrop of predictions that Democrats may regain control of the House and Senate in 2027. The shift in majority control could not only change which bills are advanced, but also the intensity of how leaders prioritize crypto regulation.

彭博政府新闻报道称，该组织支持的2026年参议院候选人跨越党派和州界。背书包括俄亥俄州的共和党人乔恩·休斯特德、爱荷华州的共和党人阿什利·辛森以及新罕布什尔州的民主党人克里斯·帕帕斯。在众议院方面，同样的报道称，“Stand With Crypto”背书了爱荷华州的共和党人玛丽安内特·米勒-米克斯和阿拉巴马州的民主党人肖马里·菲格斯。

这些背书也凸显了华盛顿的一个更广泛紧张局势：虽然加密政策倡导者呼吁监管清晰，但一个议院中的程序失败可能会阻碍整个立法流程中的谈判。从这个意义上说，选举成为塑造立法议程的机制，而不仅仅是选择代表。

加密货币政治支出如何已经塑造选情

背书的背景包括来自加密货币相关组织的实质性政治活动。Cointelegraph此前报道，一些候选人在中期选举前已经获得了大量资金，资金通过政治行动委员会（PAC）和直接竞选捐款流入。

In the Ohio Senate race-the one where Jon Heusted is focused on in the "Stand With Crypto" report-Fairshake is one of the most visible funders. Cointelegraph reported that Fairshake initially promised to spend $30 million to support Hewstead against Democrat Sherrod Brown. The same report cited additional national spending data, saying as of June, Fairshake had spent $82 million nationwide to support candidates and that the organization was supported by entities including Coinbase, Ripple Labs and Andreessen Horowitz.

Mason Lynaugh, executive director of Stand With Crypto, told Cointelegraph that there is no evidence that cryptocurrency industry organizations can "buy" guarantees about who will win the election. He attributed the group's endorsement of Huesstead to Heusstead's vote for the CLARITY Act, which he described as a "top policy priority" for the industry rather than based on broader assumptions about electoral impact.

Linno also pointed to Brown's early role on the Senate Banking Committee, saying his influence in shaping the outcomes of crypto policy. At the same time, he said Brown's recent remarks about the role of crypto in the national economy were encouraging, but emphasized that endorsement decisions are based on voting records.

What is worth paying attention to next

As Congress approaches another election cycle, investors, developers, and market participants should be watching whether these endorsements translate into new impetus for market structure legislation like the CLARITY Act-especially if the shift in congressional control changes which bills are prioritized and how quickly stalled proposals will be back on the agenda.