Protect Progress, an affiliate of the cryptocurrency-aligned Fairshake super political action committee (PAC), reported spending $362,000 on ads to support Democrat Aisha Wahab in California's 14th congressional district, according to a filing with the US Federal Election Commission (FEC).
Wahab defeated fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez in an August 18 special election with more than 53% of the vote. The spending on her behalf marks the PAC's support ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Both candidates were ranked as "strongly supports crypto" by the digital asset organization Stand With Crypto following questionnaires completed before the August special election. That election determined who would replace Democrat Eric Swalwell for the remainder of his term, ending January 2027, after Swalwell resigned in April.
Fairshake, launched in 2023 with backing from Coinbase, Ripple Labs, and Andreessen Horowitz, has spent tens of millions of dollars since the 2024 US elections on candidates the group considers pro-crypto. The super PAC reported $193 million in cash on hand in January.
In the 2026 election cycle, district boundaries in California's 14th will expand following the 2025 passage of Proposition 50, which requires new maps for the midterm elections.
Beyond California, Fairshake reported additional spending in other states. Defend American Jobs, a Fairshake affiliate largely supporting Republican candidates, reported spending more than $6.7 million to oppose Independent candidate Dan Osborn in Nebraska's Senate race. The PAC also reported $8 million on media in Ohio supporting incumbent Republican Jon Husted against Democrat Sherrod Brown, bringing total spending in that race to more than $46 million.
