Winklevoss twins spend over $2.9 million in a day to shape Ohio Senate race

The Winklevoss twins have picked a fight in Ohio, and they opened with a very large check.

Their super PAC, the Digital Freedom Fund, disclosed more than $2.9 million in ad and mail spending in a single day, on or around September 30, 2026. The money targets the Senate race between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Senator Jon Husted.

It marks the PAC’s first major financial commitment in the contest.

Where the money is going

The spending is not a pure attack campaign. Half of the more than $2.9 million went toward supporting Husted, and the other half went toward opposing Brown.

The PAC’s war chest has a clear origin story. The twins’ venture capital arm put in $21 million. Payward, the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, added another $1 million.

The Digital Freedom Fund’s ads lean on traditional political themes rather than specific crypto issues.

The crypto money pile keeps growing

The twins are not alone in this race. Other crypto-aligned super PACs, including Fairshake and Defend American Jobs, have pledged tens of millions of dollars to challenge Brown.

Fairshake and its affiliates have committed over $30 million to campaign efforts against him. Of that, $11.4 million has already been spent.

There is a strategic difference worth noting. In prior election cycles, Fairshake took a bipartisan approach, backing candidates on both sides of the aisle. The Digital Freedom Fund represents a more Republican-aligned strategy.

Why Brown is the target, again

Brown is a three-term senator who once chaired the Senate Banking Committee. He has been known for his critical stance on the crypto industry.

Brown lost his reelection bid in 2024. That race saw about $40 to $41 million in opposing spending from the crypto sector.

Now he is attempting a comeback. Senate Democrats recently blocked the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, a bill the crypto industry wanted passed, triggering a backlash from crypto backers.

Brown is currently polling slightly ahead of Husted despite the incoming wave of opposition money.

What this means

The math so far is striking. Fairshake and its affiliates have more than $30 million committed, the Digital Freedom Fund has a $22 million base from the twins and Payward, and the 2024 cycle already saw roughly $40 to $41 million deployed against Brown.

By running ads on traditional political themes instead of crypto policy, the Digital Freedom Fund blurs the line between industry advocacy and conventional partisan campaigning.

The outcome of races like Ohio could influence how future crypto rules are written, including whether bills like the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act get another shot.

Disclosure: This article was edited by John Chen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.