PANews reported on March 14th, citing DL News, that crypto industry lobbying groups have spent approximately $271 million in an attempt to influence the 2026 US midterm elections, and related political funding activities continue to expand. It is understood that a recent Senate primary in Illinois has drawn attention, with Illinois Lieutenant Governor and Democratic Senate candidate Juliana Stratton stating that a crypto political action committee (PAC) supported by the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement has spent $7 million on attack ads targeting her campaign. Previously, she had rarely publicly expressed her stance on the crypto industry.

Following the incident, the crypto industry advocacy group Stand With Crypto categorized Stratton as “strongly opposed to crypto,” while his opponent, Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, was rated as “strongly supportive of crypto.” Krishnamoorthi had previously supported the Genius Act, a bill related to stablecoins, and the Clarity Act, a bill regulating the crypto market.

The 2026 midterm elections will see all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats up for re-election. Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger stated that the 2024 elections demonstrated the crypto industry's presence among tens of millions of voters holding digital assets, and its growing political influence.