John Deaton Challenges Elizabeth Warren After Clinching Republican US Senate Primary

Pro-crypto attorney John Deaton has clinched the Republican nomination for the United States Senate in Massachusetts, setting up a match against Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren in November. A former Marine and vocal supporter of Ripple (XRP), Deaton triumphed over two other Republican contenders, industrial engineer Bob Antonellis and Quincy city council president Ian Cain, to secure the nomination.

Challenging Elizabeth Warren

As of a September 4th report by the Associated Press, Deaton has garnered 64% of the vote, with just over 43% of votes counted in Massachusetts. Deaton is poised to challenge Warren in the November election. Warren, who has previously won Senate seats twice, faced strong competition in 2012 but defeated Republican incumbent Scott Brown and earned over 60% of the vote in 2018. Seeking a third term, Warren is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

A pro-banking Senator, Warren, who serves on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, has targeted the crypto industry in recent years, accusing the technology of various issues including terrorism, espionage, malware, and drug trafficking. She has proposed several significant bills aimed at restricting digital asset development in the U.S.

Notable Support

Although Deaton did not specifically address crypto during his victory speech, his campaign received notable support via figures in the crypto sector, such as the Winklevoss twins and Ripple executives. The Commonwealth Unity Fund, a crypto-focused political action committee (PAC), contributed over $1 million in Massachusetts to back Deaton.

Furthermore, major donors to his campaign include Ripple executives Chris Larsen and Brad Garlinghouse, Gemini founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci, Cardano co-founder Charles Hoskinson, and Kraken co-founder Jesse Powell.

As of July 31st, Federal Election Commission records show that Deaton had raised approximately $1.7 million for his Senate campaign. In April, Deaton submitted an amicus brief supporting 4,701 Coinbase customers in their legal battle with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.