House races still to be called
Crypto PACs backed three candidates in US House races that remain undecided. Two incumbents lead in Alaska and North Carolina, while a Louisiana state senator faces a December runoff.
Rep. Nick Begich leads in Alaska’s US House race. Defend American Jobs, Fairshake’s Republican-facing affiliate, backed him with $508,142 in the August primary. The same PAC put $150,600 behind Rep. David Rouzer, who leads in North Carolina’s 7th District.
Louisiana state Sen. Blake Miguez will face Democrat Chauna Banks in a Dec. 12 runoff for the state’s 6th District. The Fellowship PAC backed Miguez with $250,000.
The Associated Press called the race in South Carolina’s 2nd District for incumbent Rep. Joe Wilson on the morning of Nov. 11. Stand With Crypto rates Wilson as “strongly supportive of crypto.” His win brought the group’s House tally to 246 crypto supporters and 107 opponents, while the Senate stood at 50 supporters and 33 opponents.
In the remaining races, Stand With Crypto lists each candidate as either strongly supportive of crypto or having no stated position. “The new members that have no stance present an opportunity,” Blockchain Association Chief Policy Officer Lindsay Fraser told Cointelegraph.
Educating the incoming congress
Nearly one in four members of the incoming Congress will be new, Fraser said, and many have given little thought to blockchain technology. “To us, that represents a blank slate in terms of education,” she said.
Blockchain Association is planning a January fly-in to reach newly elected lawmakers. “Leaving the 120th Congress with more members in that A and B category would be a huge success,” she said, referring to Stand With Crypto’s ratings. The group gives an A to candidates who strongly support crypto and a B to those who are somewhat supportive.
Fraser said age plays a bigger role than party affiliation in how lawmakers vote on crypto. She said members under 55 are much more likely to support the industry and that the incoming class skews younger.
Fraser said she wants the industry to enter the 2028 election “with two candidates who […] are thoughtful in regards to the industry,” so the sector can avoid “living and dying by the outcome of that election.”