Ripple donated $1 million to the Commonwealth Unity Fund PAC to bolster John Deaton’s campaign in the Massachusetts Republican senatorial primary against crypto critic Elizabeth Warren. Deaton, known for his advocacy for Ripple Labs and specializing in mesothelioma law, also runs the CryptoLaw website.
Ripple supports its own
Deaton led the group known as the XRP Army, comprising tokenholders who volunteered as third-party defendants in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) lawsuit against Ripple. Additionally, he has submitted multiple amicus curiae letters in prominent SEC cases involving cryptocurrency firms.
Lawyer James Murphy established the Commonwealth Unity Fund to assist Deaton, with records from the US Federal Election Committee indicating that Ripple Labs contributed $1 million and Murphy contributed $50,000 to the PAC. According to Open Secrets, a nonprofit tracker of political finances, the PAC has allocated $30,000 towards opposing Warren.
Deaton did not discuss cryptocurrency during his campaign launch, and his campaign website indirectly references crypto through reposted press coverage.
An alternative title could be: “Deaton’s Base of Support is Restricted”
According to Open Secrets, Deaton’s campaign has raised $1.7 million, supported by contributions from notable figures in the crypto community such as Gemini co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen, SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple attorney Stuart Aldertoy, Kraken co-founder Jesse Powell, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson, and Coinbase. In contrast, Warren has raised $18 million.
Despite some significant endorsements from the crypto community, support for Deaton has not been universal. The pro-crypto super PAC Fairshake and the Sentinel Action Fund have not backed Deaton, and the Coinbase-backed Stand with Crypto has not endorsed him either.
Senator Cynthia Lummis, known for her pro-crypto stance, endorsed Ian Cain, who is competing with Deaton for the Republican nomination. Cain co-founded Qubic Labs, a blockchain technology accelerator.
Another contender, engineer Robert Antonellis, is also seeking the nomination. Polls indicate Warren currently enjoys strong support in the Senate race.