Brad Garlinghouse, the CEO of payments firm Ripple, has publicly endorsed Republican John Deaton in his campaign to win a seat representing Massachusetts in the United States Senate.
In an Oct. 22 X post, Garlinghouse said he “enthusiastically and wholeheartedly” supported Deaton’s Senate run against incumbent Elizabeth Warren. The Ripple CEO cited the lawyer’s work advocating for XRP holders and “the entire crypto industry” in court.
Source: Brad Garlinghouse
The endorsement seemed unsurprising to many on social media, as Garlinghouse, Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen, and Ripple chief legal officer Stuart Aldertoy donated to Deaton’s campaign. Ripple is also one of the most significant contributors to the Commonwealth Unity Fund PAC, which supports Deaton and opposes Senator Warren through media buys.
Senate race a referendum on crypto policy?
Deaton and Sen. Warren participated in two debates on Oct. 15 and 17, in which digital asset policies were a point of contention. The Massachusetts Senator accused the lawyer of kowtowing to the industry with his campaign funding, claiming “100% of his loyalty in Washington will be to crypto.”
In contrast, Deaton claimed Senator Warren’s priorities in Congress were overly focused on regulating crypto compared to issues like immigration and the economy. Many lawmakers and industry leaders have named the Massachusetts Senator and Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler the two most outspoken crypto opponents in government.
In an interview with Cointelegraph at Ripple Swell, Garlinghouse said Gensler “will be on the wrong side of the law and history.” The Ripple CEO has also expressed concerns about the US government “going after” Tether as the company prepares to launch its stablecoin, RLUSD.
With less than 13 days until the US Election, many Massachusetts residents have already begun early voting. As of October, many polls showed Senator Warren with at least a 20-point lead over Deaton. She has held the Senate seat since 2013.
While Larsen and Garlinghouse have contributed to Deaton’s campaign, the Ripple co-founder also announced he would send $11 million in XRP to a political action committee supporting Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. At the time of publication, most polls showed the US Vice President neck and neck with Republican candidate Donald Trump.
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