Crypto-Backed PAC Unveils First 2026 Endorsements Across Key Senate, House Races
The Blockchain Leadership Fund is backing candidates across both parties as the crypto industry ramps up its political push ahead of the 2026 midterms
Welcome to the rare Thursday edition of the Crypto In America newsletter!
What you’ll read: A new crypto-backed PAC rolls out its first slate of midterm endorsements while SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce prepares for her next chapter in academia.
A new bipartisan hybrid PAC backed by members of the crypto industry announced its first slate of endorsements for the 2026 midterm elections on Thursday, throwing its support behind a mix of Republicans and Democrats across several key Senate and House races, Crypto In America has learned.
The Blockchain Leadership Fund, established in March by crypto firms Anchorage Digital and Chainlink, said its inaugural endorsements, which will come in the form of campaign donations, reflect an effort to support candidates focused on keeping digital asset innovation in the United States and pushing for clearer rules for the industry as crypto policy efforts accelerate in Washington following the advancement of the Clarity Act through the Senate Banking Committee last week.
The PAC has not yet disclosed individual expenditure amounts for each candidate.
Among the Senate contenders receiving support are Barry Moore (R-AL), who is running to fill the Senate seat being vacated by Senator Tommy Tuberville as he campaigns for governor of Alabama; Kurt Alme (R-MT), who is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Senator Steve Daines after he announced in March he would not seek re-election; and Jon Husted (R-OH), who is running against former Senate Banking Committee Chair Sherrod Brown in Ohio’s special election after Brown lost his seat in 2024 to Bernie Moreno following a roughly $40 million spending campaign by industry-backed super PAC Fairshake.
The group is also backing Congresswoman Angie Craig (D-MN), who is currently in a hotly contested Democratic primary for Minnesota’s open Senate seat being vacated by Senator Tina Smith.
On the House side, the PAC is backing Republican candidate Houston Gaines, a Georgia state lawmaker running for the state’s open 10th Congressional District seat; Jim Kingston, the son of former Congressman Jack Kingston who is running for Georgia’s open 1st Congressional District seat; and Jon Bonck, a Trump-endorsed Republican running for Texas’ open 38th Congressional District seat.
For Democrats, the list includes Adrian Boafo, a Maryland state lawmaker running for Congress in the state’s 5th Congressional District; Christian Menefee, the Texas Democrat who won a 2026 special election to succeed the late Sylvester Turner and is now running for a full term; and North Carolina Congressman Don Davis, who is seeking reelection in the state’s 1st Congressional District.
The PAC said it plans to continue evaluating candidates throughout the election cycle and announce additional support for leaders at the federal, state and local levels who back what it describes as responsible digital asset policy.
Crypto Task Force Chief Hester Peirce to Join Regent University Law School
SEC Commissioner and Crypto Task Force chief Hester Peirce has chosen her next career move after the securities regulator, and it’s not beekeeping. At least not full time.
Starting in November, Peirce will join Virginia’s Regent University Law School as an Associate Professor where she will help expand the school’s academic work in areas like securities regulation, financial markets and digital assets.
“I am looking forward to my next chapter as a professor but, until I leave the Commission, my focus is on the work of the SEC, including the work of the Crypto Task Force,” Peirce told Crypto In America.
Peirce was appointed to the Commission by President Trump in 2018 and has been an advocate for clearer regulatory guidelines for the crypto industry throughout her tenure, frequently criticizing the Biden-era SEC’s regulation-by-enforcement approach to digital assets and earning her the nickname “Crypto Mom.” That stance later helped secure her position as head of the Crypto Task Force, an initiative created at the start of President Trump’s second term to develop clearer market rules for crypto companies around trading, custody, token sales and decentralized finance.
Since launching last year, the Crypto Task Force has held hundreds of meetings with industry participants, hosted a series of public roundtables and worked with SEC staff to issue guidance aimed at clarifying how existing securities laws apply to digital assets, including around custody, token issuance, disclosure obligations and the treatment of certain crypto activities under federal securities laws.
With Peirce set to begin her new role in six months, the White House may soon begin ramping up its search for her successor. One name that has surfaced in recent months is Ammon Simon, Peirce’s former advisor at the SEC, who now serves as Chief Counsel on the Senate Banking Committee and has already interviewed with Chairman Paul Atkins about the position, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Other reports suggest at least two additional names are also under consideration, though it remains unclear how far along those discussions are.
Since the start of his presidency, Trump has not nominated any new commissioners to either of the market regulators. The SEC is currently operating with just three of its five commissioner seats filled, while the CFTC is down to a single sitting commissioner: Chairman Michael Selig.
Midweek Recap
ICYMI: Here are some of the biggest stories making headlines this week.
The Federal Reserve issued notices of proposed rulemaking for payment accounts, also known as “skinny master accounts,” marking the next formal step in Governor Waller’s push to allow eligible fintech and crypto firms access to the Fed’s payments system for clearing and settlement purposes.
President Trump signed two executive orders aimed at cutting barriers for fintech and crypto firms while directing the Fed to explore expanded access to payment accounts and services for those companies.
The SEC ended its decades-old “gag rule,” which required defendants settling enforcement actions to refrain from publicly denying the agency’s allegations, effectively preventing them from disputing the claims.
Kevin Warsh is set to be sworn in by President Trump as the new chair of the Federal Reserve on Friday.
In a letter to OCC Comptroller Jonathan Gould, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) questioned the agency’s approval of national trust charters for nine crypto firms, arguing the companies are seeking bank-like privileges without full banking oversight.
Trump-backed platform Truth Social withdrew its application with the SEC to launch a Bitcoin ETF.
SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said the agency will soon seek public input on how to regulate a new wave of novel ETFs, including funds tied to event contracts.
Former CFTC Chairman Chris Giancarlo has joined investment bank Jefferies as a senior advisor.
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The bipartisan structure is what most coverage skipped. Split-funding both parties in 2026 is a different strategy than 2024's all-in approach. Whether the picks reflect actual policy alignment or just who's likely to win matters more than the dollar number. Peirce exiting at the same time also feels like a signal.