- A new campaign led by Democratic Party-aligned cryptocurrency enthusiasts is making overtures to Vice President Kamala Harris.
- The campaign is holding a virtual town hall meeting this week.
A version of this story appeared in our The Guidance August 12 newsletter. Sign up here.
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban, hedge fund veteran Anthony Scaramucci and Congressman Wiley Nickel.
These are some of the heavyweights who will speak at a digital town hall hosted this week by the Crypto4Harris campaign.
The campaign was launched to rally support from the crypto community for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, as the industry invested $183 million in political action committees to support crypto-friendly candidates.
“Start small”
Campaign organizer Will Schweitzer said: DL News Crypto4Harris “starts small.”
“There’s no political action committee, no organization, just a few volunteers. We happen to know enough people that we can put together a list of names to join us” at city hall, he said.
Crypto4Harris believes crypto is “a big tent,” Schweitzer said.
Although the campaign is run by Democrats, it welcomes anyone who wants to learn more about how crypto can help American innovation, he said.
Join the community to receive our latest stories and updates
“We see the Harris administration as an opportunity for those of us in the industry who are very concerned about the real issues – the regulatory issues – the concerns of founders and builders, entrepreneurs, investors, consumers,” he said.
Donald Trump
Democratic-aligned crypto industry participants hope Harris can reset relations between the party and the crypto industry, strained after years of regulatory crackdowns under President Joe Biden.
While Donald Trump embraced cryptocurrency during his election campaign, Vice President Harris remained silent.
His campaign shows signs of rapprochement with the industry.
For example, it hired David Plouffe, a former Obama adviser with ties to cryptography.
Republican industry representatives, however, say they don’t believe Harris’ reset is real.
That skepticism redoubled last week, when regulators asked Customers Bank to strengthen its compliance measures.
The rebuke from the crypto-friendly bank has rekindled speculation that the administration has been engaged in a coordinated effort to block cryptocurrency businesses from accessing banking services.
“Problems inherited from the past”
Schweitzer said Crypto4Harris aims to move beyond the Biden administration’s “legacy issues,” such as ongoing litigation against crypto companies.
“We try to reach out to the Harris team during the campaign days and say, ‘You don’t need to give up crypto, we’re here for you,’” he said.
“It’s a show of good faith on the part of the industry.”
The event is scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST.
Other speakers confirmed for the event include Congressmen Adam Schiff and Ritchie Torres, as well as Crypto Council for Innovation CEO Sheila Warren.
Contact me at joanna@dlnews.com.
