Uncalled House races: $508,142 spent in Alaska, Dec. 12 runoff set

$508,142 went into the August primary in Alaska, and the spending did not settle the race. Rep. Nick Begich still leads in the state's US House contest, which remains uncalled.

The money came from Defend American Jobs, the Republican-facing affiliate of Fairshake. It backed Begich, and it also put $150,600 behind Rep. David Rouzer, who leads in North Carolina's 7th District. Both races are still undecided.

Three PAC commitments sit behind the three open contests:

• Defend American Jobs: $508,142 for Rep. Nick Begich in the Alaska August primary
• Defend American Jobs: $150,600 for Rep. David Rouzer in North Carolina's 7th District
• Fellowship PAC: $250,000 for Louisiana state Sen. Blake Miguez, who faces Democrat Chauna Banks in a Dec. 12 runoff for the state's 6th District

Money buys a candidacy, not a seat. In Louisiana, $250,000 turns Miguez into a funded challenger with organized support behind him. Neither figure settles either race.

What does the uncalled map look like now?

One race broke on Nov. 11. The Associated Press called South Carolina's 2nd District for incumbent Rep. Joe Wilson that morning, and Stand With Crypto rates Wilson as "strongly supportive of crypto." His win moved the group's House tally to 246 crypto supporters and 107 opponents. The Senate stands at 50 supporters and 33 opponents.

In the races still open, Stand With Crypto lists every candidate as either strongly supportive of crypto or as having no stated position. "The new members that have no stance present an opportunity," Blockchain Association Chief Policy Officer Lindsay Fraser told Cointelegraph.

What does this change for lawmakers who haven't decided?

Fraser expects nearly one in four members of the incoming Congress to be new, and she says many of them have given little thought to blockchain technology. "To us, that represents a blank slate in terms of education," she said.

Silence is not scored as opposition. Stand With Crypto treats an unstated position as an opening rather than a negative, which is the gap the industry's education push is meant to close.

The Blockchain Association is planning a January fly-in to reach newly elected lawmakers. That puts its outreach in Washington before those members cast their first votes.

"Leaving the 120th Congress with more members in that A and B category would be a huge success," she said, referring to Stand With Crypto's ratings. The group hands an A to candidates who strongly support crypto and a B to those who are somewhat supportive.

Will party or age decide how these members vote?

Fraser said age plays a bigger role than party affiliation in how lawmakers vote on crypto. Members under 55 are much more likely to support the industry, and the incoming class skews younger.

That splits the industry's recruiting work in two. PAC spending targets candidates who already fit the profile, while the fly-in targets the much larger pool of members who have not said anything yet. Each group needs a different kind of spending, and the two barely overlap.

Fraser said she wants the sector to enter the 2028 election "with two candidates who […] are thoughtful in regards to the industry," so the sector can avoid "living and dying by the outcome of that election."

The calendar is narrow for now. The Dec. 12 Louisiana runoff decides the last of three contested House races, the January fly-in opens the education push, and the size of the crypto-supportive bloc in the 120th Congress depends on which undecided members take their seats.