Fairshake opens $30 million campaign against Sherrod Brown

Crypto super PAC Fairshake has opened a $30 million campaign against former Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown. The campaign follows the Senate's September 15 procedural vote on the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act, which ended 49-50 and fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance the bill. Brown is a Democrat seeking to reclaim the Ohio seat he lost in 2024. He is challenging Republican Senator Jon Husted, and the race is considered one of the leading contests for control of Congress this year. Fairshake plans to begin the campaign on Tuesday with advertising and direct mail aimed at Brown. The New York Times described it as the cryptocurrency industry's most aggressive midterm effort so far. Fairshake previously spent $41 million targeting Brown in 2024, when he was the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee. Fairshake said more spending will follow in House and Senate races, including support for candidates from both parties. The super PAC describes itself as bipartisan and funded some Democrats in 2024, but its general election spending this year is expected to favor Republicans heavily. Fairshake and two affiliated groups have a $120.4 million war chest, according to federal filings. The New York Times reported that Fairshake has spent more than $68 million on congressional primaries this cycle. Polymarket traders give Democrats a 93% chance of taking the House and a 65% chance of taking the Senate, compared with 7% and 36% for Republicans. In Polymarket's US market, traders price Brown at 61% and Husted at 40%, while the global market shows 55% for Brown and 46% for Husted. Trump's approval rating fell to a record-low 32% in a Reuters/Ipsos survey. The campaign will test whether $30 million can produce the result the industry seeks in Ohio.