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Key Takeaways
- Defend Developers launched as a hybrid PAC, allowing both direct candidate contributions and unlimited independent advertising.
- Unlike Fairshake and other large crypto super PACs, Defend Developers will focus exclusively on incumbent lawmakers who have already backed legal protections for crypto developers, rather than targeting a broad range of races.
- Fairshake spent $6.5 million to defeat crypto critic Al Green in Texas last week and backed nine Democratic House candidates in California this week.
A new hybrid political action committee focused on shielding cryptocurrency developers from legal exposure launched Wednesday, with board members drawn from Uniswap Labs, the DeFi Education Fund, and the Solana Policy Institute. Called Defend Developers, the PAC was federally registered last month and plans to raise more than six figures to back incumbent lawmakers who support legal protections for DeFi builders in the midterms.
Defend Developers Launches as Hybrid PAC With Backing From Uniswap Labs and Solana Policy Institute
Unlike the super PACs that have dominated crypto’s political spending in recent cycles, Defend Developers is structured as a hybrid PAC. This designation allows it to make direct contributions to candidates within Federal Election Commission limits while also channeling unlimited corporate contributions into independent advertising.
The only other crypto hybrid PAC currently active is the Blockchain Leadership Fund, established by Anchorage Digital and Chainlink. No dollar amounts have been disclosed about Defend Developers’ initial funding. The PAC was founded by Gavin Zavatone, who also serves as policy lead at the DeFi Education Fund, a trade association that lobbies for DeFi-friendly policymaking.
“We plan to raise and contribute more than six figures across dozens of key races in the midterms, because crypto technologists deserve champions in Congress who will go to bat for them,”
Zavatone said this in a Wednesday statement, adding:
“As a hybrid PAC, we’re building the political infrastructure to ensure the United States remains the best place in the world to build blockchain technology freely, and we’re doing it the right way, powered by individual contributions raised directly from the founders, builders, and CEOs who have the most at stake.”
Defend Developers Focuses on Incumbents Rather Than Broad Field, Declines to Disclose Fundraising
Defend Developers is not expected to match the financial scale of Fairshake, the leading crypto super PAC, or other crypto PACs including the Fellowship PAC, linked to Tether, and the Digital Freedom Fund, tied to Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss of Gemini.
Unlike those groups, Defend Developers will focus exclusively on incumbents who have already supported legal protections for crypto developers, rather than targeting a broader range of races. The PAC has not disclosed how much it has raised to date.
Fairshake, by contrast, has deployed tens of millions of dollars across multiple election cycles and is one of the largest super PACs in U.S. politics. This week, the group backed nine Democratic U.S. House candidates in California, one in New Jersey, and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rounds in South Dakota. All won their primaries on Tuesday. Fairshake spent no more than $476,000 on any single race in this week’s contests, with that ceiling reached for U.S. Representative George Whitsides.
Fairshake Spent $6.5 Million to Unseat Crypto Critic Al Green in Texas Last Week
Fairshake’s most expensive recent effort came in the Texas primary last week, where the super PAC spent $6.5 million in a successful bid to defeat longtime House lawmaker and crypto critic Al Green, who lost to Christian Menefee.
The group has also faced at least one loss in Illinois. Defend Developers has not commented on the broader competitive landscape heading into November.
November General Election Seen as Key Test for Crypto Industry’s Congressional Influence
The November general election will serve as a major test for the crypto industry’s growing presence in campaign finance, with control of at least one chamber of Congress in play. Zavatone has said the midterms will be pivotal, arguing that builders and founders have a direct stake in who represents them in Congress. Defend Developers’ focus on incumbent protection marks a narrower but distinct strategy within the broader crypto PAC ecosystem.
