Crypto PACs Backed by Scaramucci, Bankman-Fried Plan Ads
Samuel Bankman-Fried, founder and CEO of FTX, testifies before a Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on “Examining Digital Assets: Risks, Regulation and Innovation,” on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on February 9, 2022.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
A network of political action committees backed by cryptocurrency industry executives is planning a last-minute ad campaign in support of congressional candidates, according to one of the groups’ chief strategists.
Web3 Forward and Crypto Innovation, two super PACs funded by the crypto leaders, are both expected to spend at least six figures on an ad blitz starting in two weeks, the strategist explained. This person declined to be named to speak freely about the private planning.
The groups plan to invest in television ads supporting candidates from both sides of the aisle just days before the Nov. 8 midterm elections, this person said. The PACs aim to initially air their aids in California, Oregon, Colorado and Texas, but are still considering which candidates they will support.
During the primary season, Web3 Forward supported Democrats running for Congress, while Crypto Innovation supported Republicans, according to the Federal Election Commission. Both PACs have not spent on independent expenditures since September, when the primary election drew to a close.
Of the 11 House and Senate races Web3 Forward spent money on, eight of the group’s preferred candidates won, according to data from nonpartisan OpenSecrets. Congressional hopefuls included Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman, whom the PAC spent $212,000 to support.
Crypto Innovation invested in seven races, and five of their preferred candidates prevailed. They included Ted Budd, the North Carolina Republican Senate nominee backed by former President Donald Trump.
The spending by the crypto PACs will add to a flurry of cash flows in what is expected to be the most expensive midterm election ever. Already, $6.4 billion has flowed into TV, radio and digital ads.
Democrats control the House and Senate, but only by small margins. The Senate is split 50-50 by party, and Democrats must rely on Vice President Kamala Harris for tie-breaking votes.
A handful of Senate elections, including those in Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Arizona, will determine which party controls the Senate. Meanwhile, dozens of races across the country will shape whether Democrats can retain their eight-seat majority in the House.
Web3 Forward and Crypto Innovation are primarily funded by GMI PAC, another super PAC that has seen massive donations from cryptocurrency leaders. The contributions include $2 million in January from FTX CEO Samuel Bankman-Fried.
The group also received an additional $1 million each in May from Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, two managing partners at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, filings show. The firm’s portfolio includes cryptocurrency companies.
Former Trump White House communications director and SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci donated $100,000 to Crypto Innovation in March, according to an FEC filing.
GMI PAC’s founding board includes CMS Holdings co-founder Dan Matuszewski, Framework Ventures co-founder Vance Spencer and FTX Digital Markets CEO Ryan Salame, according to crypto news outlet The Block.
Web3 Forward and Crypto Innovation did not return requests for comment prior to publication.
