A Fairshake poll finds 45% of Americans call crypto too risky as industry PACs deploy over $100 million into midterms.
Summary
- A Public First poll conducted for Politico found 45% of Americans say investing in cryptocurrency is not worth the risk.
- The same poll found 44% say AI is developing too fast, and two-thirds want Congress to impose strict oversight on artificial intelligence.
- Pro-crypto PAC Fairshake and pro-AI PAC Leading the Future have together deployed over $100 million in 2026 midterm races.
A Politico poll conducted by Public First in April 2026 found that 45% of Americans say investing in cryptocurrency is not worth the risk, even if potential returns are high. The survey of 2,035 adults also found 44% believe AI is developing too fast, and nearly two-thirds want Congress to impose strict regulations or broad oversight on artificial intelligence.
The findings arrive as industry-backed super PACs pour unprecedented sums into the 2026 midterm cycle. Fairshake, the pro-crypto PAC backed by Coinbase, Andreessen Horowitz, and Ripple, has spent roughly $28 million across competitive primaries.
The pro-AI group Leading the Future, launched in August 2025, has raised more than $75 million and deployed funds in races across North Carolina, Texas, Illinois, and New York. Their combined spending exceeds $100 million.
A political liability in the making
The poll found that in hypothetical matchups, respondents were far less likely to support candidates backed by groups pushing looser AI regulation. Political observers told Politico that once voters connect campaign money to the industries behind it, backlash could be swift. “I do think if they see somebody is backed by crypto, that’s always going to be a problem,” former Ohio Representative Jim Renacci reportedly said.
The disconnect between spending and public trust is sharpest in name recognition. Only 9% of respondents have heard of Leading the Future, and just 3% recognise Fairshake. The industry has financial power that has not yet translated into public legitimacy.
That gap matters because both Fairshake and the crypto industry’s primary legislative goal, the Clarity Act, depend on the same Senate that faces midterm exposure.
As crypto.news documented, if Democrats take control of either chamber in November, Clarity Act passage odds are described as close to zero. Voter distrust of crypto at 45% makes the midterm environment a risk that PAC spending alone cannot resolve.