Cryptocurrency-focused political committees are flexing their growing bipartisan political muscle in Texas, spending more than $9 million on races this cycle as Tuesday’s primaries deliver a series of victories for industry-backed candidates in both parties.
Houston Democrat Christian Menefee defeated fellow Democrat Rep. Al Green in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, after Republican-led redistricting dismantled Green’s former seat and forced the House Financial Services Committee member into a rare incumbent showdown.
Green had earned an “F” from cryptocurrency advocacy group Stand With Crypto after opposing key industry-backed legislation and warning that cryptocurrencies could erode America’s financial leverage abroad.
“Representative Green’s defeat demonstrates that hostility against cryptocurrencies has real electoral consequences,” Fairshake spokesperson Geoff Vetter told CoinDesk. “Fairshake made a 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 Sen. John Cornyn. In other races, Fairshake’s Republican affiliate, Defend American Jobs, and its Democratic counterpart, Protect Progress, endorsed candidates on opposite sides of the aisle, while the cryptocurrency-focused Fellowship PAC supported Paxton to the tune of $500,000.
Elsewhere in Texas, Defend American Jobs spent about $1.8 million to endorse four winning Republican candidates: Jon Bonck ($348,433), Tom Sell ($426,279), Carlos De La Cruz ($581,172) and Alex Mealer ($436,278). All four were low-turnout elections in which the final candidate is typically widely favored in November, making them efficient targets for a well-capitalized political network.
Texas had just 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 narrow margin, to sweep both the House and Senate.
