A cryptocurrency-aligned political action committee has significantly increased its spending in Michigan's 13th Congressional District primary, backed primarily by contributions from Ripple Labs and Coinbase.

According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings published as of Thursday, the Protect Progress PAC had spent a combined total exceeding $2 million on media campaigns aimed at supporting incumbent Democratic Representative Shri Thanedar while opposing his primary challenger, Donavan McKinney.

The latest filings represent a near-doubling of the PAC's previously reported spending from one week earlier. New expenditures included an additional $884,240 on advertising in support of Thanedar and more than $150,000 directed toward opposing McKinney.

Thanedar's legislative record includes votes in favor of the stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act and the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act, a crypto market structure bill currently under Senate consideration. He also cosponsored the Promoting Innovation in Blockchain Development Act, legislation intended to safeguard blockchain developers. The spending pattern reflects a broader crypto industry strategy of directing resources toward incumbents who have supported priority legislation on payment stablecoins and federal digital asset regulation—two of the most consequential policy areas under consideration in the current Congress.

In a July 21 statement addressing the PAC's spending in support of his opponent, McKinney said: "the crypto lobby is paying my opponent back for helping Trump make over $1 billion since taking office."

Recent financial disclosures revealed that US President Donald Trump earned more than $1.4 billion from cryptocurrency-related investments in 2025. Those earnings include proceeds from his memecoin, Official Trump (TRUMP), and from World Liberty Financial, his family's crypto business venture. Numerous Democrats have accused Trump of leveraging the presidency for personal financial gain through legislation such as the GENIUS Act.

Cointelegraph contacted both the Thanedar and McKinney campaigns for comment on the PAC expenditures but did not receive an immediate response.

Protect Progress operates as an affiliate of the Fairshake PAC, which spent more than $170 million during the 2024 US election cycle on media supporting candidates viewed as sympathetic to crypto industry policy priorities. The Michigan primary is scheduled for Tuesday, and the PAC alongside its affiliates have already committed millions of dollars to 2026 races in Texas, Illinois, and other states. Primary elections typically draw lower voter turnout than general elections, meaning concentrated outside spending can have a proportionally larger impact on outcomes—a dynamic that makes congressional primaries particularly attractive targets for well-funded issue advocacy groups.

According to a June report by the US consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, Fairshake and its affiliates accounted for more than $82 million of the approximately $189 million that crypto companies deployed during the 2026 election cycle. Fairshake reported holding a $193 million war chest as of January.

PAC Spending Extends to Washington and Alabama Primaries

Beyond Michigan, the Fairshake-affiliated Defend American Jobs PAC spent more than $65,000 on media supporting a Republican candidate in Washington's 4th Congressional District, FEC filings showed. Washington's primaries are scheduled for the same day as Michigan's.

Alabama, which holds its primaries on August 11, has also drawn Fairshake's attention. FEC filings indicated that Defend American Jobs spent over $511,000 on media backing Jerry Carl Jr., a Republican who represented Alabama's 1st Congressional District from 2021 to 2025. Carl was among the wealthiest members of Alabama's House delegation, with a reported net worth of up to $15 million in 2023.