Ripple Billionaire Backs Candidates and PACs to Shape Crypto Policy

Key Insights:

• Chris Larsen, the Ripple co-founder, has donated at least $22.5 million to federal candidates and super PACs during the current election cycle.
• Larsen gave $4 million to Democrat Sherrod Brown while criticizing Fairshake’s campaign against him, despite Ripple contributing to the crypto super PAC.
• The Ripple co-founder says sustained political spending across election cycles is essential to influencing crypto policy.

Chris Larsen, co-founder of Ripple, has spent $22.5 million on federal candidates and Super PACs as of October 9, 2026, according to Bloomberg.

Larsen recently made a $4 million contribution to Democratic Senatorial candidate Sherrod Brown. This puts Larsen at odds with Fairshake PAC, a major crypto-focused political group backed by Ripple, that has been actively opposing Brown.

This clash highlights a tricky challenge for the crypto world: how to build bipartisan political support while spending against lawmakers seen as roadblocks.

Ripple Political Moves Put Strategy to the Test

Larsen’s backing of Brown is striking because Fairshake has pledged nearly $30 million to prevent Brown’s Senate comeback.

Brown lost his seat in 2024 to Republican Bernie Moreno. He now seeks to unseat Republican Senator Jon Husted in the November 2026 midterms. Cryptocurrency-linked groups, including Fairshake, also heavily targeted Brown in the previous election cycle.