TL;DR
- John Deaton, representing numerous XRP investors in Ripple’s lawsuit, is running against current Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is known for her anti-crypto stance.
- He has gained support from notable crypto figures like Coinbase’s Brian Armstrong and Tesla’s CEO but recent polls show Warren has the better chance of winning the elections.
Deaton v. Warren
The US Senate elections are scheduled for November 5 and will offer some interesting duels. The battle for Massachusetts, for instance, features Republican candidate John Deaton (who represents thousands of XRP investors in Ripple’s lawsuit against the US SEC) versus the incumbent Senator from the Democratic party, Elizabeth Warren.
“I am running for US Senate to continue my life’s mission to shake things up for the people who need it most. I fought for the little guy, I took on the greedy corporations and the heartless insurance companies, and I won,” Deaton said earlier this year.
Somewhat expectedly, the pro-XRP attorney received support from some notable names in the cryptocurrency industry.
One example is Brian Armstrong (CEO of Coinbase), who urged Massachusetts residents to vote for Deaton. He reminded that Senator Warren has shown an anti-crypto stance in the past years, claiming she was the one to help the SEC’s Chairman Gary Gensler to spearhead the agency and “encouraged him to (unlawfully) try and kill” the digital asset industry in America.
“Luckily, they did not succeed as we and others fought back. She is anti-freedom, thinks the government should run all financial services (similar to China), and has done enormous harm to this country,” Armstrong added.
Interestingly, his statement was highlighted by one of the wealthiest and most influential people on the planet – Elon Musk. Tesla’s CEO retweeted the post, reaping applause from pro-Ripple users.
Hoskinson’s Support
Another well-known individual who cheers for Deaton in his contest against Senator Warren is Cardano’s founder, Charles Hoskinson. Earlier in 2024, he donated the maximum amount to support his campaign, which, according to state laws, is $3,300.
“We need people willing to take on the establishment against banks writing our laws and destroying the crypto industry,” Hoskinson stated at the time.
Despite the backing from high-profile figures, national polls show that Deaton is the underdog, collecting around 33% of the votes. Warren, on the other hand, has a massive lead with current support of over 56%.
