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U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. August 20, 2024. 

Marco Bello | Reuters

As the 2024 U.S. elections reach their home stretch, crypto companies are opening their wallets to try and influence the results.

Nearly half of all the corporate money flowing into the election has come from the crypto industry, according to a report this week from the nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen. The sum, approximately $119 million, was raised from a mix of contributors, with Coinbase and Ripple accounting for more than 80% of the donations.

Most of the money is going to super PACs that are backing pro-crypto candidates running for office this year. The industry has faced heightened scrutiny during the Biden administration, and Coinbase and Ripple are two of the biggest players that have been engaged in legal battles with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, has tried to exploit the rift between the crypto industry and the Democrats by pitching himself as the pro-crypto choice and even keynoting a major bitcoin conference in Nashville, Tennessee, last month. But money is flowing into both parties, as the House, Senate and the presidency remain very much up for grabs.

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No other sector is keeping up with crypto. That includes oil companies and banks, which have historically been big political contributors.

Since 2010, when the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling opened the door for limitless corporate money in U.S. elections, the crypto sector has accounted for 15% of all disclosed contributions. More than 90% of the corporate crypto cash that’s been raised was brought in this election cycle.

Rick Claypool, research director at Public Citizen, who authored the latest report, said the massive money poured in by crypto companies to “silence crypto’s critics and elevate its backers embodies everything that is wrong with the Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United decision.” 

Claypool’s research shows that crypto corporations are second only to fossil fuel conglomerates in total election-related spending since the 2010 ruling.

Fairshake is the most popular of the pro-crypto, bipartisan super PACs. It’s funded by some of the industry’s leading companies and has become one of the top-spending PACs this year.

The majority of the group’s funds can be traced to four sources. Coinbase has contributed $49 million, venture firm Andreessen Horowitz has donated $47 million, Ripple has given $47 million and Jump Crypto put in $15 million. In total, Fairshake and its two affiliated PACs have raised around $169 million, with more than 90% coming directly from corporations.

Other funds have come from a mix of donors. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, for example, gave $1 million, while the Winklevoss twins put in $5 million.

A filing with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday showed that during July, Fairshake disbursed almost $75 million. Data compiled from FEC reports by OpenSecrets indicates that Fairshake has nearly $120 million in its coffers to deploy with less than 80 days to go until the November election.

The super PAC has pledged $25 million from that pool of cash to 18 House candidates in the general election, to be split among nine Democrats and nine Republicans. It’s committed another $18 million to three Senate races.

‘Eye-popping sums’

The industry’s strategy paid off in the primaries.

Public Citizen’s report found that of the 42 primary races that attracted money from crypto-backed super PACs, the candidate picked by the crypto industry won 36. But many of them aren’t publicly promoting their stance on crypto.

“When Fairshake and its affiliates spend money to influence races, either by attacking crypto skeptics or boosting crypto supporters, the ads don’t mention crypto at all,” said Claypool.

In New York and California congressional races, the crypto-funded campaign ads attacked the targeted candidates with traditional political jabs, and no mention of crypto.

“The sole reason crypto is a hot-button topic in this election cycle is that crypto businesses are spending eye-popping sums to make themselves impossible to ignore,” Claypool said.

Democrats are trying to show they can find common ground with the industry despite the tension that’s emerged in recent years.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., kicked off a virtual town hall dubbed “Crypto4Harris” in August. He said at the event that a crypto law could pass the Senate by the end of the year.

Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign team is actively working to craft a platform stance around the crypto industry and reset the approach taken by President Joe Biden, several key Democrats told CNBC. On Tuesday, Harris’ campaign announced plans to adopt a pro-crypto innovation stance.

Coinbase Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad praised the move, writing on X that he’s been “pleased to take part in a number of discussions with the Harris team.” He described the approach as “constructive” and said “the dialogue had been an important first step.”

Read more about tech and crypto from CNBC Pro

Meanwhile, money has rolled into Trump’s campaign from digital asset executives since he leaned into being the pro-crypto candidate.

Trump has adopted increasingly bullish talking points on cryptocurrencies on the campaign trail, and he announced in late July that he had raised $25 million from crypto interests, a figure that CNBC hasn’t independently confirmed.

Crypto executives have turned up at fundraisers for Trump in San Francisco and Nashville, where the Republican nominee told an audience of conferencegoers that if he were returned to the White House, he would ensure that the federal government never sells off its bitcoin holdings.

“This afternoon I’m laying out my plan to ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet and the bitcoin superpower of the world,” Trump said. “And we’ll get it done.”

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U.S. crude oil falls below $60 a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears

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U.S. crude oil falls below  a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears

A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025. 

Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters

U.S. oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel on Sunday on fears President Donald Trump’s global tariffs would push the U.S., and maybe the world, into a recession.

Futures tied to U.S. West Texas intermediate crude fell more than 3% to $59.74 on Sunday night. The move comes after back-to-back 6% declines last week. WTI is now at the lowest since April 2021.

Worries are mounting that tariffs could lead to higher prices for businesses, which could lead to a slowdown in economic activity that would ultimately hurt demand for oil.

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Oil futures, 5 years

The tariffs, which are set to take effect this week, “would likely push the U.S. and possibly global economy into recession this year,” according to JPMorgan. The firm on Thursday raised its odds of a recession this year to 60% following the tariff rollout, up from 40%.

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What EV sales slump? Illinois’ EV sales outpace the nation by 4:1

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What EV sales slump? Illinois' EV sales outpace the nation by 4:1

Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.

Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.

Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)

What’s going on in Illinois?

File:Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker (33167937268).jpg
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker at the Chicago Auto Show; by Ray Cunningham.

While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.

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At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).

We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.

SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.

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XCMG launches XE215EV battery swap electric excavator ahead of bauma

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XCMG launches XE215EV battery swap electric excavator ahead of bauma

The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.

Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.

XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.

We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).

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XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?

Easy in, easy out

XCMG battery swap crane; via Etrucks New Zealand.

The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.

You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.

SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.

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