According to CoinDesk, Democratic candidate Yassamin Ansari, a known advocate for cryptocurrency, has secured a primary election victory in Arizona's race for the 3rd Congressional District. Ansari won by a narrow margin of 39 votes against Raquel Terán, who was supported by crypto critic Sen. Elizabeth Warren. This victory was confirmed after an automatic recount on Tuesday.
Ansari, who previously served as vice mayor of Phoenix, will now advance to the general election in a district that heavily favors Democrats. This increases her chances of joining Congress, where she is expected to support favorable regulations for the U.S. digital assets sector. Her win adds to the growing list of congressional members who are proponents of the crypto industry.
Following the July 30 primary, Ansari's lead over Terán decreased from 67 votes to 42, and finally settled at 39 after a court-supervised recount. The crypto industry's leading political action committee, Fairshake, supported Ansari with approximately $1.4 million in advertising, a move that drew significant criticism from her opponent.
Fairshake and its affiliated super PACs are now focusing on the November general election, committing funds to as many as 21 congressional races. One of their most notable plans includes spending $12 million to oppose Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, who has been resistant to Senate legislation aimed at overseeing the crypto industry.