Yassamin Ansari, a crypto supporter and a Democrat running for Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives, won a recount by 39 votes over fellow Democrat Raquel Terán.
According to the Associated Press, after primary results were verified beginning on July 30, election authorities discovered Ansari was ahead by less than 0.5% of the total votes cast, necessitating a recount under state law.
According to the recount, Ansari received 19,087 votes, while Terán received 19,048. Ansari announced her victory in an Aug. 20 X post, while Terán praised her opponent on “her election to be our future congresswoman.” She will face Republican Jeff Zink in the November election.
Ansari, a former vice mayor of Phoenix, will run in the general election in a heavily Democratic district, so she has a decent chance of joining the expanding list of members of Congress who support fair policies for the US digital asset sector.
Arizona crypto PAC-backed candidate wins
The Protect Progress super PAC, which is affiliated with Fairshake and Defend American Jobs, spent more than $1.3 million on media buys to support Ansari in the race. The super PAC has spent millions of dollars on attack advertising and media support for congressional candidates in many state primaries during the 2024 election season.
Fairshake and its affiliated super PACs have now shifted their focus to the November general election, with commitments in as many as 21 congressional competitions. Its pledge to spend $12 million to derail Sen is the most notable.
Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, who has opposed Senate legislation to regulate the crypto industry. Protect Progress paid more than $400,000 on a media campaign for Democrat Andrei Cherny in Arizona’s 1st congressional district. Cherny lost to Amish Shah.
Defend American Jobs spent around $600,000 on a TV buy to assist Republican Blake Masters in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District. Masters lost the primary to Abraham Hamadeh.
Prior to the primary, California Representative Linda Sánchez reportedly described the crypto super PAC’s backing for Ansari as a way to “buy a seat in Congress” and “silence the voices” of certain voters. She had not made any public comments about the recount results at the time of publication.
The 2024 presidential election represents one of the first cases in the United States where major party candidates are taking a stance on crypto. Throughout his campaign, Republican nominee Donald Trump has made multiple supportive statements on non-fungible tokens, Bitcoin mining, and asset custody.
