Miami – Tether.io Head of Government Affairs Jesse Spiro said the crypto industry views the 2026 US midterm elections as a critical test to determine whether Washington’s recent embrace of digital assets will endure.
“What we’ve seen is a lot of good immersion and progress over the last year,” Spiro said during a panel discussion at the Consensus Miami 2026 conference, pointing to the passage of the GENIUS Act and progress on market structure legislation. “But as with anything else, the apple cart can always be upset.”
Spiro warned that the election could have a “seismic impact” on the trajectory of the industry, even as cryptocurrency advocacy groups prepare to deploy significant political spending and grassroots organizing.
“Cryptocurrencies should not be partisan,” Spiro said. “The best case scenario is that we have members who support the industry, support the ecosystem and support good policy.”
Other panelists argued that the industry’s political clout is only growing ahead of November.
Colin McLaren, Head of Government Relations at the Solana Policy Institute, said cryptocurrency policy efforts are now focused on “durability,” ensuring the future of Congress continues to drive industry priorities, including tax reform and protections for developers.
“You can make a down payment on a house, but you have to keep paying the mortgage,” McLaren said, referring to cryptocurrency campaign spending efforts after the industry poured hundreds of millions into the 2024 election cycle.
Mason Lynaugh, CEO of Stand With Crypto, said the group’s nearly 3 million members increasingly see the election as “a moment of accountability.”
“They will show up and support the people who supported them,” Lynaugh said, adding that crypto voters are highly motivated and could influence close races. “If something is decided with 4,000 votes, 5,000 votes… all we have to do is get them out.”
Read more: Cryptocurrencies are at the bottom of US voters’ priorities heading into the election, CoinDesk survey shows
