Leading pro-crypto super PAC Fairshake celebrated Texas Rep. Al Green’s (D) defeat in the Democratic primary runoff race on Tuesday, following his vocal advocacy against the industry.
“Rep. Green’s defeat proves that anti-crypto hostility carries real electoral consequences, making him the first Democratic incumbent this cycle to lose his seat,” Fairshake spokesperson Geoff Vetter said in a statement shared with The Hill on Wednesday.
Fairshake is affiliated with super PAC Protect Progress, which pledged to spend $1.5 million to oust the lawmaker in Texas’s Democratic primary race.
“Fairshake was the difference-maker in this race, and we will continue to aggressively back leaders like Rep. Menefee across the country,” Vetter said in his statement.
Green voted against two major crypto bills in this session. The GENIUS Act, which creates a regulatory framework for payment stablecoins, was the first major cryptocurrency bill signed into law by President Trump. Additionally, the Clarity Act, which assigns two financial regulators oversight authority over the crypto market, passed the House last July.
Following Protect Progress’s decision to spend against his campaign, Green said in a video shared on social media that he was “ready to take on the crypto industry.”
“Yes, they will outspend me, but they cannot buy the new 18th Congressional District. I assure you — it will not be bought, and it is not for sale,” he added.
Rep. Christian Menefee (D-Texas) won the runoff on Tuesday evening with more than double Green’s votes. Menefee garnered just under 70 percent of the vote, while Green got about 30 percent, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Menefee previously won a special election to fill out the remaining term of the late Rep. Sylvester Turner’s 18th District Congressional District seat. Green, who currently represents Texas’s 9th Congressional District, decided to run in this race following a redistricting effort in the state that made his seat more friendly to a Republican candidate.
A source with knowledge of Fairshake’s thinking told The Hill that the super PAC views Texas as the “best example of the capacity of Fairshake to deliver.”
“By sticking with Menefee when other groups pulled out, they helped unseat one of crypto’s most aggressive opponents and powered generational change,” the source said.