Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
International Business Times
International Business Times
Business
Marvie Basilan

Bernie Moreno: The Bitcoin Supporter With $12M In Backing From Pro-Crypto Super PAC

Bernie Moreno won the GOP's Senate primary in Ohio in March. (Credit: Bernie Moreno campaign website/screenshot)

KEY POINTS

  • The PAC is affiliated with Fairshake, which is backed by Coinbase and Ripple, among other top crypto entities and figures
  • Moreno was endorsed by Trump even before he won the Ohio primary in March
  • The pro-crypto candidate appears to have been supportive of Bitcoin since 2021

Defend American Jobs, which is affiliated with pro-crypto super PAC Fairshake, is on a roll as it announced Tuesday the first three candidates it will support with TV buys, and one of them is Bernie Moreno, who swept the Ohio primary in March and has Donald Trump's endorsement.

Who is Bernie Moreno?

Moreno is a known cryptocurrency and blockchain advocate, who was the talk of the crypto town for several days after he won the Ohio primary in March. Several prominent crypto figures welcomed his primary win, including the Chamber of Digital Commerce's Perianne Boring, who said Moreno's journey toward unseating Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown was "the race to watch."

Ahead of March's primaries, Moreno already received an endorsement from Trump, who, in recent months, has been expressing support for the crypto sector that often experienced "hostility" from the Biden government.

Millions for Moreno's TV ads

On Tuesday, super PAC Defend American Jobs announced it will set aside a staggering $12 million to support Moreno's senatorial bid. The PAC is affiliated with Fairshake, which is backed by some of the biggest companies and figures in the crypto space such as crypto giant Coinbase, Marc Andreessen, and Ripple.

Interestingly, Brown, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, has been vocally critical of digital assets and has signaled hesitance in supporting crypto legislation for clarity in the sector.

Specifically, the PAC is looking to support Moreno's Ohio airtime to get more people to know the blockchain entrepreneur, who is tagged by the crypto movement Stand With Crypto as a candidate who "strongly" supports the sector.

"Our mission is clear – support candidates who embrace innovation, want to protect American jobs, and are committed to working across the aisle to get things done and oppose those who do not," said Josh Vlasto, Fairshake's spokesman of the PAC's announcement.

What has Moreno said about crypto?

As far back as late 2021, Moreno re-posted a post by prominent journalist Glenn Greenwald wherein the latter said Bitcoin technology is "in its infancy stages of understanding" but otherwise, acceptance and adoption of the digital currency "is coming."

By early 2022, Moreno already appeared convinced of what $BTC could do. "Until the financial world realizes their system needs an overhaul, Bitcoin will continue to grow and become widely accepted," he wrote at the time.

Earlier this year, he blasted Brown for having "no clue about crypto" and supposedly being a "lap dog" for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who is deemed very critical of the crypto industry.

In March, he said the November elections will be "a choice between those that support Bitcoin and those that support" central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.