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Crypto-linked PAC spending fails to unseat Michigan lawmaker in primary
Donavan McKinney won Michigan’s 13th district Democratic primary with 51.9% of the vote, defeating incumbent Shri Thanedar, who led 48.1%.
A Midwest Democratic primary in Michigan ended with the unseating of two-term House member Shri Thanedar, after the race drew accusations that cryptocurrency money was being used to influence the outcome. According to reporting by the New York Times, Donavan McKinney won Michigan’s 13th Congressional District Democratic primary with 51.9% of the vote against Thanedar’s 48.1% as of Wednesday.
Cointelegraph reports that a crypto-backed political action committee spent more than $2 million on media in an attempt to re-elect Thanedar. During the campaign, McKinney accused the crypto industry of “paying my opponent back,” tying the charge to Thanedar’s voting record.
Cointelegraph also notes that Protect Progress, a super PAC behind pro-Thanedar ads and anti-McKinney messaging, is affiliated with Fairshake, which is backed primarily by crypto companies Coinbase and Ripple. The outlet adds that Fairshake and its affiliates spent more than $170 million in the 2024 US election cycle on similar contests and have continued deploying additional media spending in this year’s primaries.
In Congress, Thanedar reportedly supported bills such as the GENIUS Act and CLARITY Act, while Cointelegraph says he reportedly lost more than $600,000 in the second quarter of 2026 after investing $3.7 million of campaign funds into crypto. The primary result, however, still favored McKinney’s campaign.