Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has defended the cryptocurrency industry’s political position following the 2026 U.S. midterm elections. He said pro-crypto candidates secured victories in both major political parties, even though Democrats won control of Congress.
In a November 5 post on X, Garlinghouse said the industry’s main goal would remain the same under the new Congress: establishing clear cryptocurrency regulations in the United States.
He also pointed out that around 67 million Americans use cryptocurrency and said their presence in the financial system would continue to grow.
His comments followed a statement from Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty, who argued that the election results were not as negative for the crypto industry as some reports suggested. He acknowledged that several crypto-backed candidates suffered expensive defeats but said industry-supported candidates also achieved important victories.
The November 3 midterm elections saw Democrats regain control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. This gives them control over the congressional agenda during the remaining two years of President Donald Trump’s term.
However, Alderoty said the industry’s election performance should be considered separately from the overall results for either political party.
He highlighted the performance of Fairshake, a crypto-backed political action committee supported by companies including Ripple, Coinbase and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.
According to Alderoty, Fairshake secured victories in both primary elections and the general election. Early figures from the advocacy group Stand With Crypto also showed that many lawmakers supportive of digital assets won seats across party lines.
Fairshake reportedly won 29 of the 34 races decided by November 4. One of its victories came in Nebraska, where Republican Senator Pete Ricketts defeated independent challenger Dan Osborn after receiving support from crypto-backed political groups.
Republican Andy Barr also secured a Senate seat in Kentucky following industry support during his primary campaign. Several Democratic candidates backed by Fairshake also won their races.
However, the industry faced a major setback in Ohio, where Democrat Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Senator Jon Husted. Crypto-backed political committees reportedly spent more than $60 million trying to prevent Brown’s return to the Senate.
Brown has previously criticized the cryptocurrency industry and its political influence.
Overall, crypto-related political groups spent approximately $176 million across more than 100 congressional races by late October, with Fairshake and its affiliated groups responsible for most of the spending.
Fairshake also targeted 32 House incumbents, including 19 Republicans and 13 Democrats who had supported the CLARITY Act. Some of the candidates backed by the group still lost their reelection campaigns.
Despite the mixed results, Ripple executives said the company would continue working with lawmakers from both parties to establish clear federal rules for digital assets.
One of the industry’s main priorities remains the CLARITY Act, which aims to establish a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency markets and clarify the responsibilities of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
However, the legislation faced a major setback in September when the Senate failed to advance a motion to begin debate. The procedural vote ended 49 to 50, leaving the bill stalled ahead of the midterm elections.
With Democrats preparing to take control of both chambers, future negotiations will involve lawmakers who have raised concerns about consumer protection, financial oversight and the cryptocurrency industry’s political influence.
Alderoty said Ripple’s political involvement would continue through super PACs, advocacy organizations and educational initiatives, including work with the National Cryptocurrency Association.
He described the effort to establish clear crypto regulations as a long-term process that would continue beyond individual elections.
Fairshake has also indicated that it plans to remain active in the 2028 election cycle, with approximately $56 million reportedly available for future political campaigns.