Crypto’s main political action committee has put money on its picks for Florida congressional seats vacated by one of President-elect Donald Trump’s closest allies, Matt Gaetz, and the politician Trump chose as National Security Advisor, Michael Waltz.
With an extremely tight majority in the House of Representatives, replacing Florida’s two Republicans is paramount in the party’s political agenda in Congress. Crypto super PAC Fairshake — through its affiliate PAC, Defend American Jobs — has begun spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on pro-crypto names in planned special elections to fill seats.
Gaetz was briefly chosen by President-elect Donald Trump for U.S. attorney general — the nation’s top law enforcement official — but resigned his candidacy and Congress as pressure mounted following a House ethics investigation into his alleged payments for drugs and sex (including a report of sexual activity with a 17-year-old).
Trump has turned to state Finance Director Jimmy Patronis as his favored candidate to fill the vacancy in the House of Representatives. Patronis, who leads a large field of Republican rivals in the Jan. 28 primary, benefits from about $200,000 in ad spending from Fairshake, the group said.
In October, Patronis pushed to invest some of the state pension money into crypto investments.
The PAC also committed about $500,000 for Sen. Randy Fine to fill Rep. Waltz’s vacancy. Trump also endorsed Fine in an endorsement that would have dispersed a number of potential competitors.
The candidate posted this week on social media site X that “Floridians want crypto innovation!” »
Super PACs can purchase advertisements for or against candidates, as long as they are “independent expenditures” not approved or coordinated by the candidates. Fairshake spent $139 million to help 53 allies participate in the new session of Congress, so one in ten sitting lawmakers benefited from crypto-funded ads.
“We’re keeping our foot on the gas,” Fairshake spokesman Josh Vlasto said Friday.
The PAC still has a whopping $103 million on hand for the next congressional election cycle, putting it well ahead of the 2026 elections.
Read more: Crypto Cash powered 53 members of the next US Congress
