Crypto ownership in the U.S. now leans Republican, and the numbers are no longer subtle. A Pew Research Center poll published on June 8 found that 22% of Republicans said they had invested in, traded, or used crypto, including assets like Bitcoin and Ether.
Democrats came in lower at 17%. Pew surveyed 8,512 U.S. adults at the end of January, giving the market a clean look at how digital asset use now breaks across party lines.
The divide did not always look like this. Before 2026, Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents were about as likely as Republicans and Republican-leaning independents to say they had owned crypto. Since 2021, Republican participation has climbed from 16% to 22%.
Republicans buy more crypto as Trump turns his old criticism into direct industry exposure
Trump was not always standing near the crypto table. In 2019, President Donald Trump wrote that he was “not a fan” of digital currencies. He called them “unregulated” and said they could “facilitate unlawful behavior, including drug trade and other illegal activity.” That was the old line. It did not last.
By 2022, Trump had entered the digital asset business with his first $NFT collection. The drop sold $99 digital trading cards that showed cartoon versions of Trump dressed in dramatic outfits and hero-style poses. It was weird, loud, and very on brand.
After that, the family pushed further into digital assets. They launched more NFTs, the World Liberty Financial crypto venture, and the $TRUMP and $MELANIA memecoins. Those projects placed Trump and his family directly inside the same industry he once criticized in public.
As you should know, Trump’s administration has pushed to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the world.” That push includes steps that could let more crypto firms become banks.
According to Morning Consult, the largest gap in favor of the Republicans was seen in the second quarter of 2025. In that period, 27.9% of Republicans claimed to have purchased or sold crypto within the past year. On the other hand, 17.3% of Democrats did that. This made for a 11% gap.
Of course, politics is not the only factor driving individuals into the market. According to Morning Consult, about 74% of crypto investors are men. In young individuals below 45 years old, the gap is even larger. During 2022-2026, men below 45 years old invested in cryptocurrencies at rates between 38% and 42%. Women below that age did so at rates between 13% and 16%.
Moreover, about 25% of Asian adults said they had invested in, traded, or used crypto. Black and Hispanic adults reported similar levels.
White adults still trail Asian adults, but they have now caught up with Black and Hispanic adults for the first time. That happened after White participation rose from 13% in 2021 to 18% today.
Fairshake spends heavily in Alabama as crypto groups chase friendly seats in Congress
At the same time, the crypto industry is making one of its largest midterm bets in America’s Alabama, and it’s certainly not being shy about its efforts on the bank statement.
A political action committee associated with Fair Shake, the leading cryptocurrency super PAC, dumped $9.8 million into advertisements in an effort to support Republican Representative Barry Moore, a crypto-friendly politician.
The expenditure was recorded via Ad Impact data tracking. Fair Shake announced that its full expenditure for the campaign was $12.1 million after including direct mail and more.
Fairshake is the top spender in that race by a wide margin. Barry is trying to beat Jared Hudson, a retired Navy SEAL, in a Republican primary runoff. Trump has endorsed Barry, but the race is still viewed as competitive.
The group is not short on cash. Fairshake and its allied groups entered May with about $150 million available. The plan is to keep much of that money for the general election in the fall, but the PAC has already spent big in safe-seat primaries, where the primary winner is usually the person heading to Washington.
The strategy has not worked everywhere. In deep-blue Illinois, Fairshake-linked groups spent about $9 million on ads trying to defeat Julianna Stratton, a Democratic Senate candidate. Julianna still won the March primary.
Alabama has pulled in even more money. Defend American Jobs, one of the Fairshake-linked groups, spent about $7 million before the first round of voting and another $3 million during the runoff stretch. Barry has voted for several bills backed by the crypto industry in this Congress.
