How to know whether a candidate is on your side

Friends,

A crypto-backed PAC known as “Fairshake” just announced it would spend at least $30 million to help defeat Democrat Sherrod Brown in the race for Ohio’s Senate seat.

Ohio voters couldn’t have a clearer sign that Brown is on their side.

“Fairshake” is funded mainly by Big Crypto firms Coinbase and Ripple and venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz. It has a war chest of more than $120 million.

In 2024, Big Crypto spent more than $40 million to defeat Brown, then chair of the Senate Banking Committee. A leading critic of crypto, Brown stopped industry-friendly crypto legislation in its tracks.

Brown lost by about 4 percentage points to GOP Senator Bernie Moreno — now a leading crypto booster in the Senate.

I don’t know of a more blatant case of big money corrupting the system.

But Brown is mounting a comeback bid in the Buckeye State, where he’s facing Sen. Jon Husted in a special election to replace Vice President JD Vance.

Big Crypto is going all out to stop Brown once again, because Brown hasn’t changed his views about the dangers of crypto.

Crypto’s promised public benefits are zilch while its costs and risks are increasing by the day. There’s simply no legitimate use for crypto. Its only practical uses are tax evasion, money laundering, human trafficking, fraud, speculation, and crime.

Trump’s own crypto business should be evidence enough. The Ponzi scheme he created shows how many people will get snookered if crypto continues to syphon off their hard-earned savings.

Yet there’s no lobby to guard small investors who are losing their shirts on crypto, or to guard the public against its many downsides. Which is why we need senators like Sherrod Brown, who’s not for sale — to crypto or anyone else.

I’ve known, worked with, and admired Brown for many years. Few people in public life have as much integrity, or shown as much concern for the lives of average working people.

The good people of Ohio don’t have to take my word for it. All they need do is look at who Big Crypto is funding (Husted) and who it’s fighting against (Brown) and vote accordingly.

Zoom out on the entire 2026 midterms and you’ll see the same pattern. The largest moneyed interests — Big Crypto, AI, AIPAC, Elon Musk, and Trump’s PACs (MEGA Inc., No Going Back PAC, and Safety and Affordability PAC) — are pouring record amounts into the campaigns of candidates who will do their bidding.

The pro-AI super PAC “Leading the Future” has a war chest of between $125 million and $140 million. It’s backed by OpenAI president Greg Brockman, Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, and venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz.

AIPAC’s political action committee and super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP) has some $100 million on hand for the general elections. AIPAC says it supports Israel but it’s been a cover for big corporations and Wall Street.

Musk is backing Republican candidates who’ll help his businesses. Trump is doing the same.

All told, Republicans hold nearly a two-to-one cash advantage over Democrats going into the midterms. But you know something? American voters are catching on. The big money isn’t working.

In fact, being backed by big money is coming to be a major campaign disadvantage, because it’s seen for exactly what it is: a sign that a candidate is in the pocket of big business, Wall Street, and techno billionaires, who are shafting ordinary Americans.

Sherrod Brown’s campaign manager, Patrick Eisenhauer, said Brown’s opponent, Jon Husted is “for sale and the billionaires and corporations pouring millions into this race know it. Of course the special interests are panicking, they know Sherrod will fight the rigged system they’re feasting on to stand up for working Ohioans.”

Trump won Ohio by 11 points in 2024. Yet Brown remain 8 points ahead of Husted, 53% to 45% — a margin unchanged since June.

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