Crypto PAC Spends $514K Backing Indiana Rep. James Baird

A Federal Election Commission filing made public Saturday shows Defend American Jobs, a political action committee affiliated with Fairshake, spent about $514,000 on ads supporting Republican Rep. James Baird ahead of Indiana’s primary election.

The filing lists the expenditure as media purchases in support of Baird, the incumbent for Indiana’s 4th Congressional District. He faced state Rep. Craig Haggard in the primary contest.

Fairshake is backed by cryptocurrency companies including Coinbase and Ripple Labs and operates several affiliated groups, including Defend American Jobs and Protect Progress. Fairshake reported holding $193 million in its accounts as of January and has disclosed large ad expenditures in recent election cycles. In 2024, Fairshake-affiliated groups reported more than $130 million in media spending for pro-crypto candidates, including roughly $40 million in an Ohio Senate race. Affiliated groups have also reported spending about $8.6 million on Illinois contests and over $1 million in Texas races.

Baird, first elected in 2018 and sworn in January 2019, has supported legislation favored by digital-asset industry groups. He voted for the GENIUS Act on stablecoin payments and for the CLARITY Act, a bill aimed at creating a market structure for digital assets. The advocacy group Stand With Crypto assigned Baird a “strongly supports crypto” rating.

The CLARITY Act passed the House in July 2025 and has been stalled in the Senate. Lawmakers announced a compromise last week, and a Senate markup is expected.

Fairshake has stated it will “oppose anti-crypto politicians and support pro-crypto leaders.” Fairshake did not respond to a request for comment about the Defend American Jobs ad spending.

All 435 House seats and 33 Senate seats are up in the November midterm elections. Outside spending by industry-aligned PACs, including those tied to digital-asset interests, continues to be a factor in federal races.