Crypto cash floods Illinois Senate race as super PACs escalate attacks
Are they actually going to vote on something real?
The race to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) is quickly becoming one of the most expensive and negative Democratic primaries of the 2026 cycle, fueled in part by millions of dollars from cryptocurrency-backed super PACs.
Three prominent Illinois Democrats are competing for the open seat: Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), who represents a suburban Chicago district; Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, a close political ally of Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL); and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), who has built a national profile on gun violence prevention and public health. The three contenders are leading a Democratic primary that is widely expected to determine Illinois’s next senator, given the state’s strong Democratic lean in federal elections.
But outside spending from the cryptocurrency industry is rapidly becoming one of the defining forces shaping the race.
Crypto-aligned groups have already spent roughly $8.6 million in Illinois races, according to an analysis of federal election filings by the lobbying tracker Follow the Crypto, helping fuel a surge of attack ads. The groups have largely targeted Stratton as the primary unfolds.
Molly White, creator of Follow the Crypto, said the spending reflects a strategy the industry developed during the 2024 election cycle and appears to be continuing into the midterm elections.
“The crypto industry’s spending in Illinois is very consistent with the strategy they developed in 2024 and appear to be continuing into 2026,” White told the Washington Examiner. “If anything, they seem to be getting more aggressive with their primary spending.”
White said the campaign against Stratton closely mirrors the crypto industry’s intervention in California’s 2024 Senate primary against Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA).
“Like Stratton, Porter had not been particularly outspoken about crypto,” White said. “However, also like Stratton, she was endorsed by [Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)], which seemed enough to bring down the full weight of the crypto PACs.”
Two cryptocurrency-backed political action committees have spent more than $5.5 million on advertising targeting Stratton. The ads, funded by Fairshake, accuse the lieutenant governor of being aligned with convicted former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and highlight that one of her supporting groups accepted money from a contractor that works with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Stratton has pushed back, pointing to contributions tied to Krishnamoorthi and accusing him of …
Are they actually going to vote on something real?
The race to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) is quickly becoming one of the most expensive and negative Democratic primaries of the 2026 cycle, fueled in part by millions of dollars from cryptocurrency-backed super PACs.
Three prominent Illinois Democrats are competing for the open seat: Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), who represents a suburban Chicago district; Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, a close political ally of Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL); and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), who has built a national profile on gun violence prevention and public health. The three contenders are leading a Democratic primary that is widely expected to determine Illinois’s next senator, given the state’s strong Democratic lean in federal elections.
But outside spending from the cryptocurrency industry is rapidly becoming one of the defining forces shaping the race.
Crypto-aligned groups have already spent roughly $8.6 million in Illinois races, according to an analysis of federal election filings by the lobbying tracker Follow the Crypto, helping fuel a surge of attack ads. The groups have largely targeted Stratton as the primary unfolds.
Molly White, creator of Follow the Crypto, said the spending reflects a strategy the industry developed during the 2024 election cycle and appears to be continuing into the midterm elections.
“The crypto industry’s spending in Illinois is very consistent with the strategy they developed in 2024 and appear to be continuing into 2026,” White told the Washington Examiner. “If anything, they seem to be getting more aggressive with their primary spending.”
White said the campaign against Stratton closely mirrors the crypto industry’s intervention in California’s 2024 Senate primary against Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA).
“Like Stratton, Porter had not been particularly outspoken about crypto,” White said. “However, also like Stratton, she was endorsed by [Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)], which seemed enough to bring down the full weight of the crypto PACs.”
Two cryptocurrency-backed political action committees have spent more than $5.5 million on advertising targeting Stratton. The ads, funded by Fairshake, accuse the lieutenant governor of being aligned with convicted former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and highlight that one of her supporting groups accepted money from a contractor that works with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Stratton has pushed back, pointing to contributions tied to Krishnamoorthi and accusing him of …
Crypto cash floods Illinois Senate race as super PACs escalate attacks
Are they actually going to vote on something real?
The race to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) is quickly becoming one of the most expensive and negative Democratic primaries of the 2026 cycle, fueled in part by millions of dollars from cryptocurrency-backed super PACs.
Three prominent Illinois Democrats are competing for the open seat: Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), who represents a suburban Chicago district; Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, a close political ally of Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL); and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), who has built a national profile on gun violence prevention and public health. The three contenders are leading a Democratic primary that is widely expected to determine Illinois’s next senator, given the state’s strong Democratic lean in federal elections.
But outside spending from the cryptocurrency industry is rapidly becoming one of the defining forces shaping the race.
Crypto-aligned groups have already spent roughly $8.6 million in Illinois races, according to an analysis of federal election filings by the lobbying tracker Follow the Crypto, helping fuel a surge of attack ads. The groups have largely targeted Stratton as the primary unfolds.
Molly White, creator of Follow the Crypto, said the spending reflects a strategy the industry developed during the 2024 election cycle and appears to be continuing into the midterm elections.
“The crypto industry’s spending in Illinois is very consistent with the strategy they developed in 2024 and appear to be continuing into 2026,” White told the Washington Examiner. “If anything, they seem to be getting more aggressive with their primary spending.”
White said the campaign against Stratton closely mirrors the crypto industry’s intervention in California’s 2024 Senate primary against Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA).
“Like Stratton, Porter had not been particularly outspoken about crypto,” White said. “However, also like Stratton, she was endorsed by [Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)], which seemed enough to bring down the full weight of the crypto PACs.”
Two cryptocurrency-backed political action committees have spent more than $5.5 million on advertising targeting Stratton. The ads, funded by Fairshake, accuse the lieutenant governor of being aligned with convicted former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and highlight that one of her supporting groups accepted money from a contractor that works with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Stratton has pushed back, pointing to contributions tied to Krishnamoorthi and accusing him of …
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