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 the 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 Sept. 13 fundraiser in Washington, D.C., with tickets priced between $500 and $5,000, Reuters reported on Aug. 30.

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

Harris has a 3.2% lead over Trump in national polls, which she’s maintained since President Joe Biden dropped his bid for reelection and endorsed her, according to Sept. 1 FiveThrityEight data.

Harris has widened her edge on Trump in the polls over the last month. Source: FiveThirtyEight

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 Party nominee will soften on crypto. Under the Biden administration, the US Securities and Exchange Commission has hit some of the industry’s major firms with enforcement actions, alleging violations of 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, such as Fairshake, which has spent millions rallying against Harris’ Democratic Party.

The Harris campaign, meanwhile, met with crypto industry executives in August to discuss the sector. The meeting was the second time Harris’ campaign met with representatives of the crypto industry after a roundtable discussion in July.

At the Democratic National Convention, Harris’ senior campaign adviser, Brian Nelson, said that Harris 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 backed the vice president’s campaign. It hosted a virtual town hall in August, which included Democratic Party lawmakers.