ohio

According to documents submitted by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on October 15, the political action committee Fairshake, primarily funded by Coinbase and Ripple Labs, has invested $46.6 million through its affiliated organization Defend American Jobs in the Ohio Senate election for media advertising opposing former Congressman Sherrod Brown's return to the Senate and supporting Republican incumbent Jon Husted. This expenditure is over 50% more than Fairshake's initial plan of $30 million announced in September.In an interview aired on Pod Save America on October 16, Brown responded that he has spent his entire career battling Wall Street, big pharmaceutical companies, and oil giants, achieving success in many cases, while Husted is a spokesperson for these forces, which is why they have invested tens of millions of dollars. In addition to Fairshake, the super PAC Digital Freedom Fund, established by Gemini co-founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, reported approximately $3 million in advertising expenditures this week to oppose Brown and support Husted, bringing the total media spending in the Ohio campaign to over $5.9 million. With less than three weeks until the U.S. elections, early voting in Ohio has been underway for 10 days.Fairshake's spending this round has exceeded $41 million for 2024, when the PAC supported Republican Bernie Moreno and opposed the incumbent Brown. Brown, who previously served as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, is one of the lawmakers in Congress openly questioning the laws and policies supported by the cryptocurrency industry. Defend American Jobs also reported spending over $6.7 million in the Nebraska Senate election opposing independent candidate Dan Osborn, whose opponent, Republican Pete Ricketts, voted in favor of the Digital Asset Market Structure Act and legislation related to stablecoins. Fairshake stated in January of this year that it held $193 million in cash before the election.

The political action committee (PAC) Defend American Jobs, allied with the cryptocurrency industry and primarily funded by the industry, disclosed in documents submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that it has spent $11.4 million on media advertising to support Republican Jon Husted and oppose Democrat Sherrod Brown in the campaign for the Ohio U.S. Senate seat.This PAC is affiliated with Fairshake, which is supported by Coinbase and Ripple Labs. This advertising expenditure is part of Fairshake's commitment to initially invest $30 million to prevent Brown from returning to the Senate. Brown, a former chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, is one of the critical voices in Congress regarding cryptocurrency legislation and policy.In the 2024 Ohio Senate election, the showdown between Brown and Republican Bernie Moreno attracted over $300 million in spending from external groups like Fairshake, with cryptocurrency-related PACs and their affiliates spending about $41 million opposing Brown and supporting Moreno, who ultimately won with 50.2% of the vote. Husted's seat was appointed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, succeeding JD Vance, who was elected as the Vice President of the United States in 2024.

According to Cointelegraph, the prediction market platform Kalshi won an important ruling from the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, allowing it to continue operating its event contracts in Ohio and Tennessee.The ruling involves a dispute between Kalshi and the relevant state regulatory agencies regarding whether event contracts can continue to be offered. Cointelegraph stated that the court ruled to allow Kalshi's event contracts to continue operating in the aforementioned two states.

According to Axios, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) warned in an internal memo to top AI companies that the negative public perception of data centers in the U.S. is harming the party's chances of retaining a key Senate seat in Ohio. The memo pointed out that Democrats have made data centers a core issue in defeating Republican Senator Jon Husted, and it has been effective, stating that if he loses and blames it on data centers, politicians nationwide will avoid future projects, making this issue a potential focal point of the current election cycle.The memo, titled "Ohio Data Center Risks," urges AI companies to improve perceptions by explaining "who benefits, who pays, and why the community should welcome" them. Currently, over 4,000 data centers are operating across the U.S., with more than 3,000 under construction or planned to support AI development. However, they are facing protests due to high electricity and water consumption, rising utility costs, limited job opportunities, and concerns about AI job displacement. Internal polling shows their unpopularity is close to that of nuclear waste and has become a proxy indicator of sentiment towards AI.Husted's opponent, former Senator Sherrod Brown, has invested millions in advertising, calling him the "Ohio data center spokesperson." A Fox News poll shows Brown leading by 8 percentage points. Republicans hope that AI companies can curb the backlash; otherwise, Husted's defeat will cause lasting damage to data center development nationwide. Democrats are also acting based on polling, with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signing an executive order imposing strict restrictions on data center development.

According to sources from The Wall Street Journal, Nvidia and OpenAI have revised the deal proposal structure for the 10 megawatt data center project in Ohio. Nvidia will guarantee a 5 gigawatt project and reduce the guaranteed amount from $250 billion to less than $120 billion.

The Ohio Teachers Retirement Fund in the United States disclosed an increase of 12,453 shares of Strategy stock, bringing its total holdings to 87,689 shares of Strategy, valued at approximately 11 million dollars.

The chairman of Bitcoin mining company Bitdeer (Nasdaq: BTDR), Wu Jihan, confirmed that a fire occurred today at the company's newly built mining site in Ohio. He stated that two of the 26 buildings collapsed, with no injuries reported; the senior management team has rushed to the scene and will conduct further investigations.In addition, BTDR closed at $15.02 yesterday, down 14.9%.

Bitdeer Chairman and CEO Wu Jihan confirmed on social media that the company's newly built mining facility in Massillon, Ohio, caught fire today. He stated that two of the 26 buildings collapsed, with no injuries reported; the senior management team has rushed to the scene and will conduct a further investigation into the matter.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, the Ohio State Depository Board has unanimously approved a vendor plan that will allow cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, to be used for state government fees and service payments.Secretary of State Frank LaRose stated that relevant departments handle hundreds of thousands of transactions each year and have received increasing demand for cryptocurrency payment options. This initiative is part of Ohio's push for digital asset legislation, including blockchain protection bills and Bitcoin reserve proposals.

ChainCatcher news, according to official documents, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio has filed a civil forfeiture lawsuit regarding funds defrauded in a cryptocurrency investment scam. It is reported that an elderly male from Trumbull County and his sister lost over $1.6 million in total. The scam began in November 2024, when the victims received unsolicited text messages and established contact with the scammers on the Telegram platform, where they were subsequently induced to transfer funds to a fraudulent investment platform.Federal investigators tracked approximately $200,000 of the stolen funds through blockchain analysis and have frozen USDT tokens worth $325,060. The FBI's Cleveland division is actively investigating this case and related cryptocurrency fraud cases, and the U.S. government plans to return the recovered funds to the victims.

ChainCatcher news, according to Barron's, one of the largest public pension funds in the United States, the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, disclosed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it bought more shares of Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) in the second quarter of this year.Data shows that the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System increased its holdings by purchasing 21,499 shares of Strategy, bringing the total number of shares held to 101,880 at the end of the second quarter. As the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, Strategy has been selling preferred stock to raise more funds to purchase this cryptocurrency, with its stock price rising 40% in the first half of 2025 and 4.7% in the third quarter.It is reported that the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System has total assets of $155.6 billion, making it the 14th largest public fund in the United States.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Ohio's "Bitcoin Rights" bill HB 116 passed the state House Technology and Innovation Committee with a vote of 13-0.The bill explicitly protects users' rights to self-custody of their crypto assets, ensures the legality of mining and operating nodes for individuals and businesses, and provides a $200 capital gains tax exemption for digital asset transactions. The bill aims to create a clearer and more friendly legal environment for the digital asset industry.

ChainCatcher news, Cointelegraph reported that the Ohio Bitcoin Strategic Reserve Bill has passed committee review, bringing it one step closer to approval.

ChainCatcher news, according to the latest legislative documents, the Ohio House of Representatives recently introduced Bill No. 116 (HB 116), known as the "Ohio Blockchain Basic Act." This bill was proposed by Representative Demetriou and aims to regulate digital asset mining, taxation, and the management of digital asset investments in the state retirement system.The core contents of the bill include: prohibiting any fees, taxes, or other charges on the use of digital assets for the payment of goods and services; protecting the rights to digital asset mining and custody; and studying the feasibility of state retirement funds investing in digital asset ETFs. The bill has entered the review stage of the regular session of the 136th General Assembly (2025-2026).

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin Magazine, Ohio State Senator Sandra O'Brien has introduced a bill proposing the establishment of a Bitcoin reserve and requiring state entities to accept Bitcoin as a form of payment.

ChainCatcher news, Satoshi Action Fund co-founder and CEO Dennis Porter disclosed on the X platform: Ohio House Majority Whip Steve Demetriou, along with six other lawmakers, proposed a bill that allows the state to establish a "strategic Bitcoin reserve."The bill includes:Allowing the state government to allocate 10% of the general fund, budget stabilization fund, and prize trust fund for Bitcoin investments.Providing robust custodial solutions to ensure the state government uses self-custody or qualified custodians.Being technology-neutral by using the term "digital assets" to reduce political resistance and protect the purchasing power of state funds from inflation erosion.Only assets with a market capitalization of $750 billion that have sustained for an average of 12 months qualify for reserves, currently only Bitcoin meets this criterion.

ChainCatcher news, according to Politico citing informed sources, Vivek Ramaswamy will leave the U.S. Department of Efficiency to run for Governor of Ohio.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, U.S. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy plans to officially announce his candidacy for Governor of Ohio soon.It is reported that Vivek Ramaswamy co-led the U.S. Efficiency Department with Musk, served as a campaign surrogate for Donald Trump, and has been an active supporter of cryptocurrency.

ChainCatcher News, Ohio State Representative Derek Merrin has submitted Bill No. 703 (Ohio Bitcoin Reserve Act), proposing the establishment of a Bitcoin reserve fund in the state treasury and authorizing the state treasurer to invest in Bitcoin flexibly, but without a mandate.Merrin pointed out that the U.S. dollar is rapidly depreciating, and Bitcoin can serve as a tool to protect tax funds and enhance state finances. This legislation provides a framework for state governments to leverage Bitcoin technology to address economic challenges and promote innovation. Similar bills have been introduced in Texas and Pennsylvania, aiming to establish state-level Bitcoin reserves.