Crypto-focused political committees are flexing their growing bipartisan political strength in Texas, spending more than $9 million in races this cycle as Tuesday’s primaries deliver a string of victories to industry-backed candidates from both parties.
Houston Democrat Christian Menefee defeated fellow Democrat Al Green in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, after Republican-led redistricting dismantled Green’s longtime seat and forced the House Financial Services Committee member into a rare incumbent-versus-incumbent showdown.
Green had earned an “F” from cryptocurrency advocacy group Stand With Crypto after opposing key industry-backed legislation and warning that cryptocurrency could erode U.S. financial leverage abroad.
“Representative Green’s defeat proves that anti-crypto hostility has real electoral consequences,” Fairshake spokesperson Geoff Vetter told CoinDesk. “Fairshake made the difference in this race, and we will continue to aggressively support leaders like Rep. Menefee across the country.”
In the Republican Senate primary, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton unseated longtime Senator John Cornyn. In other races, Fairshake’s Republican affiliate, Defend American Jobs, and its Democratic counterpart, Protect Progress, supported candidates from opposite sides of the aisle, while the separate crypto-focused Fellowship PAC backed Paxton to the tune of $500,000.
Elsewhere in Texas, Defend American Jobs spent about $1.8 million to support four winning Republican candidates: Jon Bonck ($348,433), Tom Sell ($426,279), Carlos De La Cruz ($581,172) and Alex Mealer ($436,278). In these four runoffs, the final candidate is typically heavily favored in November, making them effective targets for a well-capitalized political network.
Texas only had one night of primaries, but Tuesday’s results suggest the crypto industry is already positioning itself aggressively with a well-capitalized war chest for the 2026 midterm elections, when Democrats are favored — by a slim margin — to sweep both the House and Senate.
