Cryptocurrency ownership in the US now leans Republican, and the numbers are no longer accurate. A Pew Research Center poll published on June 8 found that 22% of Republicans said they had invested, traded or used cryptocurrencies, including assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Democrats trailed at 17%. Pew conducted a survey of 8,512 American adults at the end of January, giving the market a clear look at how the use of digital assets now crosses party lines.
The divide didn’t always look this way. Before 2026, Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are as likely as Republicans and Republican-leaning independents to say they own cryptocurrencies. Since 2021, Republican participation has risen from 16% to 22%.
Republicans are buying more cryptocurrencies as Trump turns his old criticism into direct exposure to the industry
Trump didn’t always stand near the cryptocurrency table. In 2019, President Donald Trump wrote that he was “not a fan” of cryptocurrencies. He described it as “unregulated” and said it could “facilitate illegal behaviour, including drug dealing and other illegal activities”. That was the old line. It didn’t last.
By 2022, Trump had entered the digital asset space with his first NFT collection. That drop sold $99 worth of digital trading cards that showed cartoon versions of Trump wearing dramatic outfits and hero-style poses. It was weird, noisy and very loud.
After that, the family turned to digital assets. They have launched more NFTs, the World Liberty Financial crypto project, and the $TRUMP and $MELANIA memes. These projects placed Trump and his family squarely within the same industry he once publicly criticized.
As you know, the Trump administration has sought to make the United States the “cryptocurrency capital of the world.” This push includes steps that could allow more cryptocurrency companies to become banks.
According to Morning Consult, the largest gap in favor of Republicans was seen in the second quarter of 2025. In that period, 27.9% of Republicans claimed to have bought or sold cryptocurrencies within the past year. In contrast, 17.3% of Democrats did so. This resulted in a gap of 11%.
Of course, politics is not the only factor that drives individuals into the market. According to Morning Consult, about 74% of cryptocurrency investors are men. In young people under 45 years of age, the gap is even greater. During 2022-2026, men under 45 invested in cryptocurrencies at rates between 38% and 42%. Women under this age did so at rates between 13% and 16%.
Furthermore, about 25% of Asian adults said they have invested in, traded or used cryptocurrencies. Black and Latino adults reported similar levels.
White adults still lag behind Asian adults, but they have now caught up with Black and Latino adults for the first time. This happened after White’s participation rose From 13% in 2021 to 18% today.
Fairshake is spending big in Alabama as crypto groups chase friendly seats in Congress
Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency industry is making one of its biggest medium-term bets in the US state of Alabama, and it certainly isn’t shy about its bank statement efforts.
A political action committee associated with Fair Shake, a leading cryptocurrency political action committee, has thrown $9.8 million into ads in an effort to support Republican Representative Barry Moore, a cryptocurrency-friendly politician.
Expenditures are captured via Ad Impact data tracking. Fair Shake announced its total spending for the campaign was $12.1 million after including direct mail and more.
Fairshake is the top spender in this race by a wide margin. Barry is trying to beat Jared Hudson, a retired Marine, in the Republican primary runoff. Trump has endorsed Barry, but the race is still considered competitive.
The group is not short of funds. Fairshake and allied groups entered May with about $50 million. The plan is to save much of that money for the general election in the fall, but the PAC has already spent heavily in safe-seat primaries, where the primary winner is usually the person headed to Washington.
This strategy has not worked everywhere. And in the blue state of Illinois, groups linked to Verchick spent about $9 million on ads in an attempt to defeat Juliana Stratton, the Democratic Senate candidate. Giuliana still won the March primary.
Alabama has withdrawn more money. American Jobs Defense, one of the groups linked to Verchick, spent about $7 million before the first round of voting and another $3 million during the runoff period. Barry has voted in favor of several bills supported by the cryptocurrency industry in this Congress.
