Primary voting in North Carolina, Texas and Arkansas kicks off a season that will nominate some of the first candidates for the 2026 U.S. midterms — contests that could affect who controls Congress and the direction of national crypto policy.
Texas is a focal point. Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a member of the House since 2023, is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn. Crockett voted for the stablecoin payments GENIUS Act in July and supported an earlier market-structure bill, FIT21, though she opposed the later CLARITY Act. Her 2022 House campaign attracted roughly $2 million from crypto-aligned PACs, with Protect Our Future and Web3 Forward each reported to have spent about $1 million. In January she said she had not accepted “any corporate PAC money” for her 2026 Senate bid, but outside groups can still support her through ad buys or other expenditures. Political-ad tracker AdImpact reported more than $122 million had been spent on the Texas Senate primary as of Feb. 27.
On the Democratic side Crockett faces state Rep. James Talarico. Cornyn, the Republican incumbent, is being challenged by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and additional GOP contenders. The Texas contest is one of many high-stakes races in 2026: 33 Senate seats and all 435 House seats will be contested, any of which could alter congressional control and the policy agenda on digital assets.
Crypto-focused political groups are expected to play an active role. Fairshake, a super PAC supported by firms including Ripple Labs and Coinbase, spent over $133 million on media in 2024 backing candidates such as Ohio’s Bernie Moreno. Supporters credited that 2024 spending with helping deliver what they called the “most pro-crypto Congress,” which advanced the GENIUS Act and pushed toward broader market-structure legislation. Ahead of the midterms Fairshake reported roughly $193 million on hand and has already targeted races in states including Alabama and Texas.
Affiliates and other advocacy groups are also active. Protect Progress said in February it had set aside $1.5 million to oppose the reelection of Rep. Al Green, citing his opposition to a growing Texas crypto sector. The advocacy group Stand With Crypto lists Green as “strongly against crypto,” while his primary challenger, Houston prosecutor Christian Menefee, is rated as “strongly supports crypto.”
The broader political backdrop matters. Many crypto industry donors supported Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign. After taking office, Trump replaced SEC Chair Gary Gensler with Paul Atkins, issued pardons to several crypto figures including the former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, and signed the GENIUS Act into law. Those moves, and reported ties between the administration and crypto interests, have raised conflict-of-interest concerns among some lawmakers. Trump’s term runs through January 2029.
Cointelegraph reached out to a campaign spokesperson for comment on Tuesday’s primaries but had not received a response by publication. Cointelegraph says it is committed to independent, transparent reporting and encourages readers to verify information independently.