Summary
Protect Progress, a crypto industry-aligned super PAC affiliated with the Fairshake network, has pushed its spending above $2 million in Michigan's 13th Congressional District ahead of the August 4 Democratic primary. The committee is supporting incumbent Shri Thanedar and opposing challenger Donavan McKinney. The latest filings added $884,240 in media supporting Thanedar and more than $150,000 in opposition spending against McKinney.
Key Facts
- Total spending: $2M+ in Michigan's 13th District
- Latest: $884,240 supporting Thanedar, $150K+ opposing McKinney
- Protect Progress is affiliated with Fairshake network (funded by Coinbase, Ripple, etc.)
- Thanedar voted for GENIUS Act (stablecoins) and CLARITY Act (digital asset market clarity)
- McKinney has made the outside spending a campaign issue, alleging "the crypto lobby is paying my opponent back"
- 1.03M+ Michigan residents had voted by July 31
- Public Citizen estimates crypto companies supplied ~$189M during 2026 election cycle
- Fairshake-linked groups account for $82M+ in expenditures
Why It Matters
The Michigan race is a near-term test of whether crypto industry PAC spending can influence primary outcomes. Thanedar's pro-crypto voting record (GENIUS Act, CLARITY Act) drew industry support, while McKinney has turned the outside spending into a campaign issue. The $2M+ spend in a single House district is significant relative to the candidates' own fundraising (McKinney reported $1.23M in total disbursements through July 15). The August 4 result will offer the first concrete data point on whether the industry's ~$189M election-cycle spending strategy is working.