Crypto execs plan to raise $100K for Harris at fundraiser: Report

Crypto executives and industry advocate groups are reportedly planning to raise $100,000 for United States Vice President Kamala Harris in a bid to sway her toward a relaxed stance on crypto if she wins the presidency in November.

The group, which includes industry advocate body the Blockchain Foundation, is planning the fundraiser for Sept. 13 in Washington with tickets priced between $500 to $5,000, Reuters reported on Aug. 30.

The effort shows some in the industry are backing Harris over rival Donald Trump despite Harris being relatively quiet on her crypto stance compared to Trump.

Harris has a 3.2 percentage point lead over Trump in national polls, one she’s maintained since she took over for President Joe Biden as the Democrat’s presidential bidder, according to Sept. 1 FiveThrityEight data.

Blockchain Foundation executive director Cleve Mesidor said the fundraiser aims to “make a statement about what crypto is for Democrats as a potentially new administration.” 

She also hoped it would facilitate talks about how a possible Harris administration could back the sector and provide access to capital to more people of color.

The organizers are hoping the Democratic nominee will soften on crypto as the Securities and Exchange Commission under President Joe Biden has hit some of the industry’s major firms with enforcement action, alleging they broke securities laws.

Some of those big players, including Coinbase and Ripple, have shelled out $120 million in 2024 to influence the election through super political action committees (PACs) such as Fairshake, which has spent millions rallying against Harris’ Democratic Party.

Related: Trump’s approach to crypto voters ‘seems to have paid off’ — Poll

Harris’ campaign, meanwhile, met with crypto industry executives in August to discuss the industry, the second of such meetings after a roundtable discussion in July.

Harris’ senior campaign adviser, Brian Nelson, said at the Democratic National Convention that she would “support policies that ensure that emerging technologies and that sort of industry can continue to grow” in response to a question about the crypto sector.

The upcoming fundraiser follows another group called Crypto4Harris which has also thrown support behind the Vice President’s campaign, which hosted a virtual town hall last month that included Democratic Party lawmakers.

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