-
Organizers
of
Stand
With
Crypto
say
the
advocacy
group
is
directing
a
wave
of
crypto-interested
voters
toward
shifting
digital
assets
policy
in
the
U.S. -
In
about
10
months
since
launching,
the
organization
has
gathered
millions
in
donations
and
also
started
its
own
political
action
committee
to
influence
individual
races.
Stand
With
Crypto,
a
digital
assets
advocacy
group
backed
by
Coinbase
Inc.,
said
it
signed
up
its
first
million
members
as
of
Wednesday.
The
rapidly
growing
online
band
of
crypto
boosters
maintains
grades
on
U.S.
politicians
(as
Coinbase
once
did),
sets
up
public
events
to
highlight
digital
assets
issues
and
has
recently
established
a
political
action
committee
(PAC)
to
engage
directly
with
candidates.
Membership
in
the
organization
is
as
simple
as
a
quick
online
signup,
and
the
list
allows
anonymity,
though
Chief
Strategist
Nick
Carr
said
the
vast
majority
have
given
physical
addresses.
“One
million
advocates
from
across
state
and
political
lines
are
sending
a
clear
message
to
Washington.
Crypto
is
a
frontline
issue,
and
we
have
the
numbers
to
back
it
up,”
Carr
said
in
a
statement.
The
website
for
the
group,
which
was
established
in
August
of
last
year,
said
it’s
collected
millions
in
donations
and
aims
to
use
that
money
to
mobilize
U.S.
crypto
enthusiasts
toward
political
outcomes
that
favor
the
technology.
“Stand
With
Crypto
surpassed
its
goal
of
one
million
Stand
With
Crypto
advocates
faster
than
ever
imagined,”
said
Coinbase
CEO
Brian
Armstrong,
who
is
also
among
the
group’s
leading
donors,
in
a
statement.
“With
exactly
five
months
until
the
general
election,
crypto
voters
are
not
taking
their
foot
off
the
gas.”
The
crypto
industry
has
taken
an
increasingly
serious
role
in
political
advocacy
this
year,
pumping
more
than
$160
million
into
a
campaign-finance
effort
that
rivals
major
industries
(and
even
the
political
parties’
own
congressional
war
chests).
It
has
also
anonymously
supported
at
least
one
political
organization,
the
Cedar
Innovation
Foundation,
to
apply
pressure
on
Sen.
Sherrod
Brown
(D-Ohio),
whose
Senate
Banking
Committee
has
so
far
failed
to
take
up
major
crypto
legislation.
Two
recent
industry-sponsored
surveys
conducted
by
Harris
Polls
found
a
large
number
of
voters
seem
interested
in
candidates’
crypto
views.
In
the
most
recent
one,
one-third
of
voters
said
they’ll
consider
views
on
digital
assets
before
making
candidate
decisions.
However,
another
poll
of
swing
state
voters
suggested
that
as
many
as
69%
of
them
had
negative
views
of
cryptocurrency.