CoinDesk
A new political action committee called Defend Developers has joined the field of crypto-funded campaign operations ahead of November's U.S. midterms, planning to channel more than six figures each into dozens of races backing lawmakers who've already proven to be allies of crypto and DeFi developers.
Founder Gavin Zavatone, who is also policy lead at the DeFi Education Fund, said Wednesday the federally registered hybrid PAC will make direct contributions within FEC limits and channel unlimited sums into independent ads. The board includes representatives from Uniswap Labs, the DeFi Education Fund and the Solana Policy Institute, though no initial funding totals have been disclosed.
Why it matters
The PAC's structure mirrors Anchorage Digital and Chainlink's Blockchain Leadership Fund — a hybrid model that lets the industry back candidates directly while still running the kind of unlimited independent expenditure campaigns that have defined Fairshake's playbook. Fairshake and its affiliates have been one of the largest super-PAC operations in U.S. politics, spending $6.5 million in last week's Texas primary against crypto critic Al Green alone. The new entrant isn't sized to compete on that level — its six-figure-per-race plan is closer to the Fellowship PAC linked to Tether or the Digital Freedom Fund tied to the Winklevoss brothers at Gemini — but its focus on incumbents who've already taken pro-developer positions reframes the political question from persuasion to defense.
The November ballot carries unusually high stakes, with control of at least one chamber of Congress potentially flipping to Democrats, meaning the industry's 2024 winning streak — Fairshake-backed candidates swept all 11 of Tuesday's primary races across California, New Jersey and South Dakota — now needs to translate into legislative follow-through on developer legal protections rather than just electoral survival.
Frequently asked questions
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What is the Defend Developers PAC?
It's a federally registered hybrid political action committee launched in 2026 by Gavin Zavatone, the DeFi Education Fund's policy lead, with a board that includes representatives from Uniswap Labs, the DeFi Education Fund and the Solana Policy Institute.
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How is Defend Developers different from Fairshake?
Defend Developers is a hybrid PAC — limited direct candidate contributions plus unlimited independent ad spending — and is sized to put six figures into individual races, not the tens of millions Fairshake and its affiliates deploy.
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Which incumbents does Defend Developers plan to back?
The PAC has said it will back incumbent lawmakers who have already proven to be allies of crypto developers and DeFi creators, across dozens of key midterm races.
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Who else is in the crypto PAC ecosystem?
Fairshake leads the field, backed by affiliates including the Fellowship PAC linked to Tether and the Digital Freedom Fund tied to the Winklevoss brothers at Gemini. The Blockchain Leadership Fund from Anchorage Digital and Chainlink is also a hybrid PAC.
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How has Fairshake performed in recent primaries?
Fairshake-backed candidates swept all 11 of Tuesday's primary races across California, New Jersey and South Dakota, with 10 of those winners being Democrats. The super PAC also spent $6.5 million to defeat crypto critic Al Green in last week's Texas Democratic primary.
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