A crypto-industry-aligned super PAC has escalated its spending in a Michigan Democratic primary just days before voters head to the polls on Tuesday, August 5. Protect Progress has now spent more than $2 million combined on media supporting incumbent Rep. Shri Thanedar and opposing his primary challenger, Donavan McKinney, with recent filings showing $884,240 directed toward boosting Thanedar and over $150,000 spent attacking McKinney.
The Michigan race is one flashpoint in a much larger pattern of crypto-industry political spending this cycle. Fairshake and its affiliated PACs have deployed $82 million of the roughly $189 million the crypto industry has spent nationally so far in 2026, and Fairshake was still sitting on a $193 million war chest as of January — giving the industry substantial room to keep intervening in competitive races through the fall.
Why Thanedar Draws Industry Support
Thanedar's voting record explains the industry's interest in protecting his seat. He voted for the GENIUS Act, which established a federal framework for stablecoins, backed the CLARITY Act, and cosponsored the Promoting Innovation in Blockchain Development Act. That legislative record has made him one of the crypto industry's more reliable allies within the Michigan Democratic delegation, and PACs like Protect Progress are treating his primary as worth defending aggressively.
McKinney Pushes Back
McKinney, the challenger being targeted by the opposition spending, has framed the PAC money as a direct response to his criticism of the industry's political influence. In a July 21 statement, he alleged that
the crypto lobby is paying my opponent back for helping Trump make over $1 billion since taking office
— a reference to reporting that pegged President Trump's crypto-related earnings at roughly $1.4 billion in 2025.
Part of a Broader National Pattern
The Michigan spending isn't an isolated case. In Alabama, where primaries are set for August 11, Defend American Jobs PAC has already spent more than $65,000 supporting Republican Jerry Carl Jr. in the state's 1st district, with Fairshake-aligned groups directing over $511,000 to back him as well. Together, the two races illustrate how crypto PACs are increasingly willing to intervene directly in primary contests — not just general elections — to protect lawmakers seen as favorable to the industry's legislative priorities.
