An influx of financial backing from the cryptocurrency sector has seemingly propelled Yassamin Ansari, a pro-crypto Phoenix City Council member, to a precariously slim victory in the recent Arizona congressional primary. Facing off against Raquel Terán, endorsed by prominent crypto adversary Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ansari’s triumph is characterized by a mere 67-vote advantage nearly a week post-election.

The electoral contest within Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District remains undecided, with the margin tightening with each subsequent ballot count. Maricopa County, encompassing this district, still has approximately 2,089 ballots awaiting tabulation, as per the secretary of state’s office. The razor-thin margin, under 0.2%, is well within the half-percent threshold necessitating an automatic recount.

Ansari’s campaign benefitted from roughly $1.4 million in expenditures by crypto-affiliated political action committees (PACs) that either bolstered her campaign or targeted Terán. A recent correspondence to the Democratic National Committee, endorsed by Ansari, advocated for the inclusion of a pro-crypto stance in the party’s platform. Currently, Ansari claims 44.6% of the vote against Terán’s 44.5% in a district likely to favor a Democrat in the forthcoming general elections.

The Fairshake super PAC, among its affiliates, typically engages in purchasing advertisements supporting industry-friendly candidates without explicit candidate endorsement. This strategy of “independent expenditures” allows sectors, including cryptocurrency, to allocate unlimited funds to political campaigns under U.S. campaign finance regulations. In Ansari’s scenario, this spending equated to approximately $74 per vote.

Fairshake spokesman Josh Vlasto refrained from commenting on the Arizona race’s outcome, as the results are not yet official. Ansari’s campaign independently accrued $1.9 million in direct donations, Federal Election Commission records indicate, implying that Fairshake’s similar spending level could have significantly swayed the race. Regardless, Ansari’s opponent has criticized her for accepting substantial external funding from crypto interests, including PACs connected to Fairshake and direct contributions from the Winklevoss twins. Despite some April polling indicating Terán’s lead, the tight race now leans towards Ansari.

This electoral scenario is not an isolated instance of crypto support being a polarizing campaign issue. Comparable contentions surfaced in Shomari Figures’ Alabama victory and Rep. Katie Porter’s (D-Calif.) Senate primary defeat. Yet, voter apprehensions regarding crypto industry influence appear unpersuasive.

In Arizona, the crypto sector experienced setbacks in other races. Fairshake’s affiliated PACs supported Andrei Cherny in the Arizona 1st District Democratic primary and Republican Blake Masters in the 8th Congressional District, both of whom finished second in their respective races.

Thus far, the digital asset industry has seen over 20 favored candidates secure primary election victories this year, potentially including Ansari. While crypto-centric legislation remains stalled in the current Congress, the upcoming session may see increased advocacy from a larger contingent of supportive House and Senate members.

As U.S. congressional primaries conclude, with the last states finalizing this week, the formidable crypto industry PAC is poised to shift focus to the general election. Vlasto has not disclosed Fairshake’s future strategies leading up to November.