A pro-cryptocurrency political action committee has endorsed Jon Husted in Ohio’s U.S. Senate race, pledging a multi-million dollar spend. This move signals how crypto-aligned groups may influence the upcoming elections, following over $40 million spent in the state during 2024. The Sentinel Action Fund cited incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown as an obstacle to pro-innovation policies.
The Sentinel Action Fund, a conservative Super PAC advancing pro-crypto candidates, announced its endorsement of Republican Jon Husted. Husted was appointed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine in January 2025 to replace JD Vance and faces a May 5 primary.
Sentinel Action Fund President Jessica Anderson stated the incumbent, Democrat Sherrod Brown, “stood in the way of pro-innovation policies when it comes to digital assets.” Federal Election Commission filings as of Tuesday showed no disbursements for Husted yet in 2026.
The PAC and its sister organization pledged to spend more than $8 million in Ohio. It reported raising about $9 million from January 2025 through March 2026, including contributions from the Solana Policy Institute and Multicoin Capital.
This move could serve as a bellwether for crypto-aligned money in upcoming U.S. elections. In 2024, crypto-backed PACs spent more than $40 million in Ohio to support Republican Bernie Moreno’s run to unseat Brown.
Despite losing his seat, Brown announced in August he would run again for Senate. Moreno’s seat will not be up for election until 2030.
The Ohio Senate race isn’t the only state contest focused on crypto. Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has entered Ohio’s gubernatorial race.
Launching his campaign in February 2025, Ramaswamy supported efforts to create a strategic Bitcoin reserve in Ohio. Critics have pointed to his financial disclosures filed on April 6 as examples of potential conflicts of interest.
Ramaswamy reported a 10% stake in Bitcoin treasury company Strive. Strive held about 13,768 Bitcoin, worth more than $1 billion, as of Wednesday.
