The US is gearing up for midterm elections in November. For obvious reasons (i.e. Mr. Cheeto Head) this election will be critical. Interestingly, a solid amount of the candidates are accepting Bitcoin for campaign donations which is made possible by applications like Bitpay. This isn't an exclusive list since more politicians will likely jump on the Bitcoin train after they see the success of others.
Here they are:
 | Greg Abbott | Governor | Texas | Republican |
 | Bob Barr | US Representative | Georgia | Republican |
 | Paul Dietzel | US Representative | Louisiana | Republican |
 | Will Hammer | US Representative | Virginia | Libertarian |
 | Jared Polis | US Representative | Colorado | Democrat |
 | Gavin Newsom | Lieutenant Governor | California | Democrat |
 | Bryan Parker | Mayor of Oakland | California | Unknown |
 | Steve Stockman | Senator | Texas | Republican |
 | Patrick Nelson | US Representative | New York | Democrat |
 | Austin Petersen | Senator | Missouri | Republican |
 | Kelli Ward | Senator | Arizona | Republican |
 | Brian Forde | US Representative | California | Democrat |
Clicking on the name will you bring you to the original source
They aren't the first to accept Bitcoin. In 2014, Andrew Hemingway (R) ran for governor of New Hampshire and was both the youngest gubernatorial candidate in state history and the first to accept bitcoin donations (CNBC).
In May, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) made it legal for bitcoin donations to be deposited into official campaign accounts. It is a symbolic gesture to accept Bitcoin as a politician nowadays; it is telling how that individual feels about financial freedom and equity.
I live in Denver, Colorado and it is quite the tech hub. Unsurprisingly, Jared Polis, who currently presides over the second congressional district of CO, is one of the politicians accepting Bitcoin. His statement:
"I am proud to be one of the first members of Congress to promote personal financial freedom by accepting a digital currency for contributions" (CNBC).
These politicians are making bold statements. Cryptocurrency currently (for the most part) lies outside the government's reach. For politicians to be accepting, and even promoting that, is pretty wild, but great to see. I'm definitely seeing more young faces, which is great! We need younger, tech-savvy politicians. If Mark Zuckerberg's recent testimony doesn't scream out at you, I don't know what will (a senator literally asked: 'How do you sustain a business model in which users don’t pay for your service?' at a data briefing...).
In addition to making statements, they're also making solid chunks of money and opening up an entirely new donor base. It's smart. Austin Petersen (R) announced on Jan. 11 that she received 24 bitcoin donations amounting to approximately 2.155 Bitcoin. Then, that was worth around $9,700. Now, that's worth around $19,000. That said, there is a good chance they sold their Bitcoin for USD soon after they got the donations. I'd be interested to know how long political campaigns are holding on to their Bitcoin.
If you're interested in learning more, here are some articles I enjoyed reading through:
- CNBC: Cryptocurrency candidates: Politicians embrace bitcoin
- ABC News: Bitcoin is becoming more popular for political campaign donations
- Bitcoinist: Political Bitcoin Donations are Gaining Traction
- Coindesk: Congressional Candidate Now Accepting Bitcoin Donations for 2018
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