Crypto super PAC Fairshake plans to spend $30 million on negative advertisements against Democratic aspirant Sherrod Brown in Ohio’s senatorial race ahead of the November midterm elections. The campaign follows a key procedural defeat for the CLARITY Act, when 50 Democrats voted against the bill, prompting expectations of a political response from the crypto industry. Fairshake, backed by Coinbase, a16z and Ripple, spent $40 million to defeat Brown in the 2024 elections and is now targeting him again because his potential return to the Senate could put him in line for chairmanships of the Senate Finance Committee or Senate Banking Committee, which influence financial, economic and crypto policy. Stand With Crypto, another Coinbase-backed lobby group, rates Brown as strongly against crypto. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said the group has more than 4 million members whose views will be heard in the elections. Fairshake’s strategy faces a tougher political backdrop: Polymarket, a prediction market, gives Brown a 64% chance of winning Ohio, with his odds rising 10 points after the campaign was announced. President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to a record-low 32% amid the U.S.-Iran war and rising living costs, while Polymarket puts the Democratic Party’s chances of reclaiming control of the Senate and House at 65%. The spending campaign has prompted questions about whether the industry’s non-partisan strategy could backfire. Punchbowl News’ Brendan Pedersen reported that crypto spending partly damaged negotiations over the CLARITY Act, while Republicans had expected Democrats to avoid opposing the industry for fear of being targeted. Democrats nevertheless voted against the bill, joined by some Republicans, as Carlson stated. Armstrong and other industry participants were also blamed for taking an overly aggressive approach that contributed to the negotiations. Whether the strategy will hurt the crypto industry if Democrats regain control of Congress remains unresolved.