Crypto VCs, execs gave thousands to Sen. Cynthia Lummis in 2022's second quarter

Quick Take

  • Major figures in the crypto industry are giving campaign cash to Sen. Cynthia Lummis, a Republican from Wyoming who co-authored a sweeping crypto regulation bill.
  • Donors from venture capital firms, startups and industry groups gave thousands to the Senator, who reported raising $119,000 from the beginning of April to the end of June.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis collected thousands of dollars in campaign donations from the crypto industry over the last three months, according to the Wyoming Republican’s latest campaign finance report. 

Donors included executives from venture capital firms Multicoin Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, along with a pair of former Meta employees who recently launched the blockchain startup Aptos.

Lummis is a key figure in Washington’s crypto regulatory battle.

Most notably, the first-term lawmaker released a highly anticipated crypto bill with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) last month. The wide-ranging piece of legislation would determine which crypto activities fall under regulation by the Securities Exchange Commission versus the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, among other issues.

Lummis reported raising $119,000 over the last three months and had $243,000 in her campaign coffers at the end of June. Lummis will not face reelection until 2026. The latest quarterly fundraising reports are due to the Federal Election Commission on Friday, and span April 1-June 30. Lummis filed her report on Wednesday afternoon.

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Notable names on Lummis’ filing included Multicoin Capital Managing Partner Kyle Samani, who has given Lummis $5,800 this cycle, along with Multicoin Capital Partner John Robert Reed and General Counsel Gregory Xethalis. Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Ben Horowitz and General Partner Chris Dixon have each given $5,800, as have Kraken Chief Legal Officer Marco Santori and crypto-focused Matcha Design Labs CEO Avani Miriyala.

The senator also accepted contributions from Delta Blockchain Fund investor Kavita Gupta, Hivemapper CEO Ariel Seidman and Pantera Capital Co-CIO Joseph Krug, among others. Amy Oldenburg, the head of emerging markets for Morgan Stanley Investment Management, gave $1,500, according to the report. 

Additional Lummis donors hailed from Chainlink Labs and FreedomFi. Alex Allaire of the Block Chain Defense Initiative gave Lummis $1,000, while Lee Bratcher of the Texas Blockchain Council gave $750. The crypto-focused HODLpac gave $330.


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About Author

Stephanie is a senior reporter covering policy and regulation. She is focused on legislation, regulatory agencies, lobbying and money in politics. Stephanie is based in Washington, D.C.