Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen is backing current Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris for President.
This marks a significant shift from the common election trend of portraying Harris as anti-crypto.
In a letter shared with CNBC, Ripple co-founder and 88 current and former corporate executives backed Harris for the President role.
The signatories include several high-profile CEOs, including the heads of Yelp, 21st Century Fox, Box, Yelp, and several others. In addition to key executives of some of the most prominent American corporates, the letter also had signatures from philanthropists such as Lynn Forrester de Rothschild, D.C. sports magnate Ted Leonsis, Twilio co-founder Jeff Lawson, and private equity billionaire José Feliciano.
The backing from different corporate chiefs is seen as a strategic move in the run-up to the November bond U.S. Presidential elections. Furthermore, experts believe corporate endorsement from high-profile Wall Street giants could favor Harris, who is currently trailing Donald Trump in the Polymarket polls.
Crypto regulations are a key policy focus this election season. This is evidenced by growing lobbying efforts and a multi-fold rise in corporate crypto donations. These donations are intended to help pro-crypto candidates replace the current set of anti-crypto lawmakers.
Ripple is one of the top corporate crypto donors, spending over $100 million on Super Political Action Committees (PAC) that donate to political campaigns of various candidates. While Ripple, as a tech company, hasn’t made any key remarks on which Presidential candidate it is backing, it has supported Massachusetts Republican Primary winner John Deaton.
Additionally, the support from Larsen marks the second prominent Ripple executive to back Harris’s campaign. In August, former Ripple board member Gene Sperling left the White House to join Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign. Sperling has served the Biden administration since 2021 before joining the VP Presidential campaign.
In addition to the backing of key Ripple executives, Harris’s campaign boasts the support of David Plouffe, a former Binance and Alchemy Pay advisor.
On one hand, former President Trump has become pro-crypto for his election campaign despite a notorious anti-crypto stance during his Presidential tenure. On the other hand, Harris, who has remained tight-lipped on her crypto stance, has the backing of key crypto executives.