Fairshake spends over $2 million opposing Oliver Gilbert but fails to stop Florida primary win

Crypto political action committee Fairshake spent more than $2 million trying to defeat Oliver Gilbert in a Florida Democratic primary, but the former Miami Dade County commissioner won the race on Tuesday.

The spending came through Fairshake affiliate Protect Progress, which backed two other candidates in the crowded primary. Gilbert had criticized President Donald Trump’s ties to crypto and campaigned against his policies.

Protect Progress also faced criticism over advertisements that used mocked up Miami Herald headlines. The newspaper said three of the headlines misrepresented its reporting.

Fairshake spokesman Geoff Vetter defended the advertisements, saying the underlying facts were accurate.

Despite the Florida loss, Fairshake said candidates it supported won four of five races in this week’s primaries across Florida, Alaska, and Wyoming, bringing its congressional primary record to 49 wins out of 53 elections.

The group also supported Republican Sydney Gruters and Democratic Representative Lois Frankel in Florida, Republican Representative Nick Begich in Alaska, and Republican Representative Harriet Hageman in Wyoming.

Hageman won the Republican Senate primary in Wyoming as she seeks to replace departing Senator Cynthia Lummis, a prominent crypto advocate.

Fairshake and its affiliates have supported candidates from both parties during the 2026 election cycle. The groups independently fund political advertising and generally avoid making crypto the direct focus of their campaigns.

Gilbert is now positioned to advance to Congress if he wins the November general election in the heavily Democratic district.