New hybrid PAC joins Fairshake in backing lawmakers who support crypto developer protections
A new political action committee called Defend Developers has been established to fund candidates and independent advertising supporting incumbent lawmakers who back legal protections for crypto developers and decentralized finance projects, according to an announcement on June 3, 2026.
The PAC, founded by Gavin Zavatone, policy lead at the DeFi Education Fund, is structured as a hybrid PAC. This designation allows it to make direct contributions to candidates within Federal Election Commission limits while channeling unlimited corporate contributions into independent advertisements. The structure differs from super PACs like Fairshake, which operate with no monetary caps but cannot coordinate directly with candidates.
“We plan to raise and contribute more than six figures across dozens of key races in the midterms, because crypto technologists deserve champions in Congress who will go to bat for them,” Zavatone said in a statement.
Defend Developers was federally registered last month. Its board includes representatives from Uniswap Labs, the DeFi Education Fund, and the Solana Policy Institute. The PAC has not disclosed initial funding amounts.
The launch reflects intensifying political mobilization by the crypto sector ahead of November’s general election. Fairshake, the sector’s leading super PAC, has already deployed substantial resources in 2026 primaries. On Tuesday, June 3, eleven Fairshake-endorsed candidates advanced or won in primary races, including nine Democratic House candidates in California and one in New Jersey. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rounds in South Dakota also won with Fairshake backing.
Fairshake’s spending has been aggressive. The PAC spent $6.5 million in a successful effort to defeat House crypto critic Al Green in the Texas primary last week. In other races, Fairshake expended $476,000 on U.S. Representative George Whitsides this week, marking its single largest outlay in any race to date.
Zavatone emphasized the distinction between Defend Developers and existing crypto PACs. “As a hybrid PAC, we’re building the political infrastructure to ensure the United States remains the best place in the world to build blockchain technology freely and we’re doing it the right way, powered by individual contributions raised directly from the founders, builders, and CEOs who have the most at stake,” he said.
The crypto sector’s political footprint has expanded significantly since 2024. Other crypto-aligned PACs include Fellowship PAC, linked to Tether, and the Digital Freedom Fund, tied to Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss at Gemini. Anchorage Digital and Chainlink established the Blockchain Leadership Fund.
Not all crypto-backed candidates have succeeded. Fairshake experienced electoral setbacks in Illinois, though the PAC has maintained a strong win rate in most races where it has invested heavily.
