Fairshake, the crypto-backed super PAC that has become the sector’s loudest megaphone in Washington, dropped over $10 million in March opposing Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton in the Illinois Democratic primaries. She won anyway. It was the PAC’s largest campaign loss to date.
But Fairshake’s overall record heading into summer tells a very different story: 38 wins against just 2 losses across the first 40 races of the 2026 cycle. That’s a 95% success rate.
The Illinois stumble and what it reveals
The loss marks only the second time Fairshake has come up short in 2026. For a PAC that entered this election cycle with over $116 million in cash on hand, one expensive miss doesn’t exactly threaten the war chest. But it does suggest that the crypto lobby’s influence has a ceiling in certain political climates, particularly in progressive strongholds.
Where the money is actually working
