Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, founders of the Gemini exchange, each donated $500,000 worth of Bitcoin to support pro-crypto lawyer John Deaton’s effort to unseat Senator Elizabeth Warren. 

On July 18, the Winklevoss brothers explained their donations to the XRP advocate, calling him an “American hero” and the “only candidate who can defeat Elizabeth Warren in the race for US Senate in Massachusetts.”

Tyler wrote:

“John Deaton is an American hero; Elizabeth Warren is not. John Deaton is a pro-Bitcoin, pro-crypto, and pro-business candidate; Elizabeth Warren is not. She is a lawmaker who can’t pass a law. She is celebrity over results. Politician over leader. Form over substance.”

Deaton is a prominent pro-XRP lawyer who has consistently criticized Warren and US financial regulators’ approach to the emerging industry. He has played vital roles in the SEC’s cases against several crypto firms, including Ripple.

Notably, Deaton enjoys strong crypto community backing. His super political action committee (PAC), the Commonwealth Unity Fund, recently received a $1 million donation from Ripple, and he has raised about $1.7 million, according to Federal Election Data.

Meanwhile, the Winklevoss twins have also supported other pro-crypto candidates. Last month, they donated $2 million in Bitcoin to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, endorsing his efforts to counter the Biden administration’s anti-crypto policies.

Lampoons Warren

The Winklevoss twins sharply criticized Warren’s anti-crypto stance, calling her “one of the single greatest threats to American prosperity.”

According to Tyler:

“[Warren] is the chief architect and driver of the Biden Administration’s war on crypto. She wages this unlawful war by weaponizing government agencies to attack our industry through a combination of debanking, bad faith enforcement actions, and other abuses of power.”

He added that Warren’s stringent policies extend beyond the crypto industry. According to him, the Senator believes that free markets are bad and should be regulated extensively, that businesses are harmful, and that those who start and lead them are villains.

Tyler concluded:

“Crypto has the capacity to level the financial playing field and promote financial inclusion, fairness, and freedom for all. Elizabeth Warren should be embracing it. Instead, she has tried to kill it. Why? Because she can’t control it. Her lust for power and control is so great that she puts it ahead of the individual consumer that she pretends to care about and protect.”

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Ripple has donated $1 million to support XRP advocate John Deaton‘s bid to unseat Senator Elizabeth Warren in the Massachusetts Senate race.

The crypto firm funded a super political action committee (PAC) called the Commonwealth Unity Fund. This PAC, created by James Murphy, another pro-XRP lawyer, aims to challenge and unseat Warren, known for her skepticism towards crypto.

Fox Business journalist Eleanor Terrett first reported the funding.

Ripple’s funding is unsurprising, considering Deaton’s strong pro-crypto background. Deaton is a well-known pro-XRP lawyer who has publicly criticized Warren and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for their treatment of the emerging industry. Notably, he has also played leading roles in the SEC’s cases against several crypto firms, including Ripple and Coinbase.

Murphy described Deaton as a “uniter” and emphasized the importance of not staying on the sidelines in this crucial election. He added:

“For me and my family, this election is simply too important to just stand on the side lines. We desperately need a uniter like John Deaton in the Senate.”

Meanwhile, Federal Election Commission data shows that Deaton has raised about $1.4 million from notable figures in the crypto industry. His support base includes Ripple’s CEO Brad Garlinghouse, Cardano’s Charles Hoskinson, and Gemini exchange twins founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss,

Crypto increasing push for influence

Crypto’s role in the election cycle is growing, as recent funding trends show. A recent Grayscale survey highlights a rising pro-crypto sentiment among Americans, driven by macroeconomic shifts and the sector’s growth.

In response, crypto firms like Ripple, Coinbase, and others are funding super-political action committees, investing around $150 million to support pro-crypto candidates.

Similarly, nonpartisan groups like Stand With Crypto and the Bitcoin Voter Project are also emerging. These organizations aim to mobilize crypto voters and influence election results.

As a result, candidates are taking notice of the crypto vote’s growing influence, with some reports noting that this could affect voter turnout and election outcomes.

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