Top Pro-Crypto Candidates to Watch in the US Elections: Donald Trump, John Deaton, and More

• Polymarket has Donald Trump at 63% to beat Kamala Harris.
• Elizabeth Warren vs. John Deaton is considered the most consequential race aside from the Presidential race.
• Millions of dollars in funding from the cryptocurrency industry have gone to both Democrat and Republican candidates.

The 2024 U.S. Presidential Elections are finally underway, and dozens of pro-crypto candidates are standing in crucial down-ballot votes across the nation.

Trump vs. Harris

The most important outcome of the U.S. election—at least for crypto—rests with the battle between Donald J. Trump and Kamala Harris.

It goes without saying that Trump is crypto’s favorite to win as the former president has made Bitcoin and cryptocurrency a key part of his campaign.

Notably, he made big promises to fire the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman, Gary Gensler, on day one of becoming president and promised to make the U.S. the number one Bitcoin mining country in the world.

On the other hand, Harris didn’t establish any footing within the crypto community, nor did she endorse any anti- or pro-crypto policies for the majority of her short campaign.

However, following calls to embrace it as digital assets quickly emerged as a voting issue, Kamala has recently produced some pro-crypto positions.

There is little faith, however, that Harris will handle crypto differently than her predecessor.

Deaton vs. Warren

Perhaps almost equally consequential is the Massachusetts election race between pro-Ripple (XRP) lawyer John Deaton and crypto’s second-least-favorite politician, Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Democratic Sen. Warren gained a reputation for being “anti-crypto” for constantly giving crypto the cold shoulder, frequently citing risks such as money laundering, cybercrime, terrorist financing, and environmental concerns with Bitcoin mining.

Her concerns aren’t unfounded, but it is her “staunchly against” approach that gained her notoriety.

Famously, she was critical of the SEC’s decision  to approve Bitcoin ETFs.

Conversely, Republican John Deaton has become a famed member of the crypto community for his unwavering support of Ripple throughout its legal process with the SEC.

Naturally, he’s not a fan of Gensler, Warren, or the SEC, describing the agency’s approach to regulating crypto as “ass-backward.”

Deaton wants to see a clear, concise rulebook for crypto in the U.S. and an end to the ceaseless back-and-forth legal tussles between regulators and the crypto industry.

Famously, Deaton played a pivotal role in the XRP Vs. SEC battle, which, through his unwavering efforts, saw the Ripple token declared as not a security.

Brown vs. Moreno

The Ohio Senate election race is between Democrat Sherrod Brown and pro-crypto Republican Bernie Moreno.

Brown, the powerful Senate Banking Committee Chairman, is a notable critic of crypto and has joined with Warren in efforts to quash an industry rife with scams.

He believes cryptos and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are just speculative items that put citizen’s money at risk. He voted down the pro-crypto SAB 121 bill  earlier this year.

Ohio businessman Moreno embraced blockchain and crypto in 2016 and has increasingly advocated for the technology over the years.

He sees the potential in crypto not only as an asset class capable of incredible things but also as an alternative to banks.

He is outspoken in his criticism of anti-crypto moves from Brown, Warren, and the SEC.

Interstingly, Ohio is a relatively pro-crypto state, and recently, it put forth a bill in the state’s Senate that would allow local citizens to pay their taxes in crypto.

This would be the second time the Midwestern state has made such an attempt after a brief but bold 2018 initiative to allow businesses to pay taxes in crypto.

Casey Jr. vs. McCormick

The Pennsylvania Senate race has Democrat Bob Casey Jr. pitted against Republican Dave McCormick.

Lawyer and long-standing Pennsylvania Senator Casey Jr. has supported some pro-crypto legislation, namely the SAB 121 bill.

He also co-sponsored the Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2023.

According to Stand With Crypto , Casey has expressed some support for comprehensive regulatory frameworks that foster security and growth in the digital assets space.

Opponent, former U.S. National Security Advisor, hedge fund CEO, and businessman McCormick views crypto as a financial and technological revolution .

He firmly believes in blockchain and crypto’s capacity to enhance individual freedoms and privacy and would like to see America be the world leader  in blockchain innovation.

Tester vs. Sheehy

Potentially another key race is Montana’s Senate bout between Democratic Senator Jon Tester and Republican Tim Sheehy.

Long-standing Sen. Jon Tester seems to hold mixed, though mostly negative, sentiments toward crypto.

Having voted in favor of the SAB 121 bill, Tester conversely argued that crypto had no actual value  and that it shouldn’t even be regulated as it would grant it legitimacy.

Famously in 2022, he said , “It’s all bullshit”.

His opponent is a former Navy Seal and founder of an all-veteran Aerospace firm, and has become a prominent figure in Montana.

Though not explicitly pro-crypto, Sheehy is against central-bank digital currencies (CBDCs), views crypto  as the future of the internet and finance, and believes it can create thousands of American jobs.