Pro-Crypto Super PAC Allocates $1.5 Million Campaign Against Texas Rep. Al Green
Christian Menefee challenges Al Green in next month's Democratic primary in Texas, one of the earliest states scheduled to hold primary voting.
Protect Progress, a political action committee (PAC) advocating for cryptocurrency interests, plans to allocate $1.5 million toward opposing Texas congressman Al Green in the forthcoming Democratic Party primary election due to his historical stance against digital assets.
"Representative Al Green, serving on the Financial Services Committee, has chosen to obstruct American innovation," Protect Progress, which operates as an affiliate of Fairshake, a prominent crypto PAC, stated to The Hill on Thursday.
Since taking office in 2005, Green has served as the Democratic representative for Texas's 9th congressional district in the House of Representatives. He voted against both the GENIUS Act, which regulates stablecoins, and the CLARITY Act, a pair of cryptocurrency-related legislative measures that received House approval last year.
"Texans cannot continue tolerating congressional representation that demonstrates active hostility toward the state's expanding cryptocurrency community," Protect Progress declared. "Our commitment is to support the election of fresh representatives who welcome innovation, economic expansion, and opportunities for wealth generation accessible to all Americans."
This represents the cryptocurrency industry's most recent effort to shape congressional composition before November's midterm elections. During the 2024 election cycle, the crypto sector became among the largest political contributors, with Fairshake independently deploying approximately $130 million, which contributed to electing numerous pro-cryptocurrency officials.
While super PACs accumulate funds through contributions, they cannot provide direct financial support to political campaigns or collaborate with them. Rather, they acquire advertising space and employ alternative strategies to advocate for particular candidates.
Advocacy group says Green against crypto
The Democratic primary scheduled for March will see Green competing against Christian Menefee for the redesigned Houston-area congressional district.
Among the earliest states conducting primary elections, Texas joins Arkansas and North Carolina on March 3, when both major parties will select their nominees before the general election scheduled for Nov. 3.
Stand With Crypto, a cryptocurrency advocacy organization that evaluates US political figures on their digital currency positions by compiling their previous declarations and legislative actions, has classified Green as "strongly against crypto" due to his voting record and public commentary regarding the technology.
Menefee supports blockchain technology
In contrast, Stand With Crypto has assigned Menefee a rating of "strongly supports crypto" following his responses to the organization's survey, including one answer where he articulated support for legislation leveraging the technology to address practical challenges, such as fighting deed fraud through blockchain-based recording of property records.
"That kind of innovation could protect working families from scams and modernize outdated government systems. I'd support or introduce bills that promote practical, public-serving blockchain use cases like this,"
Christian Menefee
On Tuesday, Defend American Jobs, another affiliate organization of Fairshake, revealed plans to invest $5 million supporting Barry Moore, a crypto-supportive Republican candidate, in his campaign for the US Senate. In January, Fairshake announced it had accumulated $193 million in preparation for the midterm elections.