Crypto Industry Becomes Largest Corporate Political Spender with $189M in 2026 Midterm Contributions

The cryptocurrency industry has emerged as the largest corporate political spender in the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, contributing $189 million to influence races and policy. According to a Public Citizen report, crypto firms account for over one-third of all corporate election spending this cycle, surpassing their 2024 total of $170 million. Major contributions from Coinbase, Ripple Labs, and Foris Dax have fueled pro-crypto super PACs like Fairshake and the pro-Trump committee MAGA Inc. as the industry lobbies for favorable regulatory frameworks like the proposed Clarity Act.

Crypto industry political spending

• ▪Total corporate-backed election spending from the cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, big tech, and online betting sectors has reached $294 million for the 2026 cycle
• ▪Cryptocurrency political spending in the 2026 cycle has surpassed the $170 million the industry spent during the entire 2024 election cycle
• ▪The $189 million spent by cryptocurrency firms represents more than one-third of all corporate political contributions reported for the 2026 election cycle
• ▪Cryptocurrency companies have contributed $189 million toward the 2026 United States midterm elections, making the industry the largest corporate political spender of the cycle

Corporate supremacist super PACs

• ▪Online betting companies FanDuel and DraftKings contributed $19.5 million each to the sector-specific super PAC Win for America
• ▪The venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz contributed $50 million to Leading the Future, an artificial intelligence policy super PAC that has raised $75.1 million
• ▪Corporations have reported spending a total of $517 million on the 2026 midterm elections so far, surpassing the previous record of $461 million set during the 2024 cycle

Fairshake super PAC funding

• ▪Ripple Labs contributed $48.5 million and Coinbase contributed $33 million to the Fairshake super PAC during the 2026 election cycle
• ▪The pro-crypto super PAC Fairshake has received $82 million in corporate contributions during the 2026 election cycle

MAGA Inc. corporate donations

• ▪Tools for Humanity Corporation contributed $5 million to MAGA Inc. days before Donald Trump's presidential inauguration
• ▪The super PAC MAGA Inc. has received $120.6 million in corporate contributions during the 2026 election cycle, representing 35% of its $342 million total raised
• ▪Crypto.com parent company Foris Dax contributed $35 million to MAGA Inc., making it the top corporate donor to the committee

Dark money disclosure gaps

• ▪Anthropic has pledged $20 million to a group backing artificial intelligence safety-oriented candidates, which is not yet reflected in Federal Election Commission disclosures
• ▪The $517 million corporate spending figure does not capture $65 million spent by Meta Platforms through non-federal super PACs to counter state-level artificial intelligence regulation