Michigan State Representative Donavan McKinney has won the Democratic primary for Michigan's 13th Congressional District, defeating two-term incumbent Representative Shri Thanedar in a race that drew scrutiny over cryptocurrency industry spending. The Detroit-area district is heavily Democratic, making Tuesday's primary the effective contest for the seat.

According to The New York Times, McKinney secured 51.9% of the vote as of Wednesday, while Thanedar trailed with 48.1%. The contest attracted national attention after a cryptocurrency-aligned political action committee (PAC) poured more than $2 million into media efforts aimed at helping Thanedar retain his seat — a seat he has held while voting in favor of multiple industry-friendly bills.

McKinney, widely viewed as a progressive challenger, earned endorsements from the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Socialists of America during the campaign. The DNC congratulated McKinney following his primary victory.

During the race, McKinney criticized the role of crypto money, accusing the industry of "paying my opponent back for helping Trump make over $1 billion since taking office" — a remark widely interpreted as referencing Thanedar's pro-crypto voting record in Congress.

The spending was orchestrated by Protect Progress, a super PAC affiliated with Fairshake, a political network backed primarily by crypto firms Coinbase and Ripple. Fairshake and its affiliated groups spent more than $170 million during the 2024 US election cycle on races involving pro- and anti-crypto candidates, and have since redirected millions more into primary races across several states ahead of the November general election. Thanedar's defeat despite that level of financial backing marks a notable instance of crypto-aligned spending failing to protect an incumbent who consistently voted with the industry's legislative priorities.

Thanedar's ties to the crypto sector extend beyond legislative votes. In addition to supporting bills such as the GENIUS Act and the CLARITY Act in the House of Representatives — measures focused on stablecoin oversight and digital asset market structure regulation, respectively — he reportedly lost more than $600,000 in the second quarter of 2026 after investing $3.7 million in campaign funds into cryptocurrency companies.

In a Wednesday post on X, McKinney wrote: "Washington has spent too long serving billionaires and corporate interests. I will always only serve the people I represent."

McKinney will face Republican candidate Taras Nykoriak in the November general election. Cointelegraph reached out to McKinney's campaign for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.

Crypto PAC Activity Extends to Washington State

Beyond Michigan, Fairshake's network remained active in other primaries. Defend American Jobs, another Fairshake affiliate, spent more than $65,000 on media supporting Republican Amanda McKinney (no relation to the Michigan candidate) in Washington's 4th Congressional District. Both Amanda McKinney and her Democratic opponent, John Duresky, secured more than 30% of the vote in Tuesday's primary to advance to the general election in November.