Donavan McKinney defeated incumbent Shri Thanedar 51.9% to 48.1% in Michigan's 13th District primary, despite $2M in crypto PAC spending backing Thanedar.
Donavan McKinney beat the money. The Michigan State Representative defeated two-term incumbent Shri Thanedar in Tuesday's Democratic primary for Michigan's 13th Congressional District, taking 51.9% of the vote to Thanedar's 48.1%. The win came despite more than $2 million in spending by Protect Progress, a political action committee aligned with the crypto industry's main lobbying group, Fairshake.
Protect Progress is one of several PACs tied to Fairshake, which raised over $170 million from cryptocurrency companies including Coinbase and Ripple during the 2024 election cycle. This cycle, Fairshake and its affiliates have poured money into primary races across multiple states, backing candidates viewed as friendly to crypto legislation. Thanedar had voted in favor of two bills the industry pushed hard this year: the GENIUS Act and the CLARITY Act.
Thanedar's campaign also suffered a separate blow. Campaign finance disclosures show it lost more than $600,000 in the second quarter of 2026 after the congressman invested $3.7 million of campaign funds into cryptocurrency companies. The loss drew attention from voters and local media, though its direct electoral impact is unclear.
McKinney's victory carried institutional support beyond party lines. He received endorsements from the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Socialists of America, a coalition that reflects the district's progressive lean.
Fairshake's broader strategy extended beyond Michigan. A separate affiliate, Defend American Jobs, spent over $65,000 backing Republican Amanda McKinney in Washington's 4th Congressional District primary. She advanced to face Democrat John Duresky in November. The candidate's last name matches Donavan McKinney, but they are not related.
The Michigan result marks a rare loss for the crypto industry's political machine. Fairshake and Protect Progress have successfully influenced races elsewhere this cycle, but the 13th district's primary shows that heavy spending does not guarantee outcomes. McKinney now faces Republican Taras Nykoriak in the November general election.
Thanedar's campaign had not issued a public statement on the loss as of publication. Cointelegraph reached out and did not receive an immediate response.
The broader question hanging over the cycle is whether voters are starting to push back on candidates who carry heavy industry backing. Crypto PAC money is visible now in a way it was not a few cycles ago. Fairshake's $170 million-plus in 2024 spending made headlines. Protect Progress's $2 million Michigan buy made headlines. Voters can see it. Whether they care, and how much, will vary district by district. In Michigan's 13th, they cared enough to go the other way.
McKinney heads to November. Thanedar does not.
Drafted by a large language model from the source reporting linked above, then screened by automated publishing checks. It is not read by a journalist before publication. Some articles cite our Alpha Score. Verify prices and figures against the original source. Educational coverage, not personalized advice.