Blockchain Association

Crypto is surfacing in U.S. election campaigns less as a policy debate and more as a weapon in arguments over influence, corruption and President Donald Trump. Democratic candidates are pointing to industry spending, Fairshake-backed ads and Trump’s personal crypto gains as they try to frame digital assets as part of a broader self-dealing narrative.

The digital asset industry spent more than $13 million on lobbying in the first half of 2026, with about $8 million tied to the Clarity Act push. Despite major spending by Coinbase, Kraken, trade groups and outside firms, the U.S. Senate did not advance the market structure bill.

Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger is stepping down, with former longtime leader Kristin Smith returning as interim CEO. The move follows the Senate’s failure to advance the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act after a prolonged policy fight.

Senate Democrats delivered a counterproposal to Republicans on major crypto market structure legislation as lawmakers moved toward a critical procedural vote. The dispute centers on ethics language, state enforcement authority, stablecoin provisions and the scope of federal oversight.

Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger is pushing back against criticism of the Clarity Act, arguing that the bill supports innovation, competition and consumer protection. The debate centers on stablecoin rewards, DeFi oversight, tokenized securities and whether crypto market structure rules should favor open competition or incumbent institutions.