Jason Delgado
A political committee supporting Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried‘s bid for Governor is now accepting donations by cryptocurrency.
The committee, Florida Consumers First, claims it is the first in state history to do so. Fried is Florida’s only statewide elected Democrat.
“By building a forward-looking, 21st-century movement, we are giving our grassroots donors and others who feel abandoned by our corrupt political finance system a chance to participate in our mission,” said Florida Consumers First Treasurer Ben Kuehne. “People who believe in Nikki Fried’s expansive message of putting Florida consumers first can fully embrace our movement by contributing through cryptocurrency from our website.”
The committee announced the news in a video on social media. In it, Fried jabs at the banks, notably Wells Fargo, airing a list of grievances.
Wells Fargo, she said, 2008 housing crash and discriminated against minorities. She noted that the same bank also opened fake accounts to boost stock prices.
If elected Governor, Fried vowed to prioritize the “democratization” of the monetary system. The move, she said, would force banks to compete for trust and resources.
Wells Fargo in 2018 shut down Fried’s campaign after she announced plans to support the legalization of medical marijuana.
“To show you how serious I am, my political committee, Florida Consumers First, is now accepting cryptocurrency because I trust you to make your own decisions,” Fried said. “And I want you to be part of this movement to get power back to the people and save our democracy.”
Currently struggling to raise funds, Fried faces U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and state Sen. Annette Taddeo in the upcoming Democratic Primary.
In November, Fried reported picking up $106,086 for her official campaign and $110,223 for her Florida Consumers First political committee.
Those totals are the smallest monthly numbers reported since she officially entered the gubernatorial contest in June. They’re also a fraction of what U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist posted collecting for his accounts in November.
To watch the video announcement, click on the image below.
The financial system isn’t working for us, we are working for it. That’s why #CryptoCurrency and the democratization of money should be a priority for government.
To push that forward, my political committee is now taking #crypto!
Join us at https://t.co/jSQuWt0ZfE! pic.twitter.com/Xxk2vlUjAN
— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) January 4, 2022
3 comments
Seems Obvious
January 4, 2022 at 12:30 pm
I believe there’s no hard limit on FL state or local elections for crypto-currency campaign donation like there is in Federal campaign finance. If that is the case, bad actors or foreign interests could crypto-buy an election.
Why is this not limited like it is at the Federal level? $200 hard limit and donors recorded.
WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot
January 4, 2022 at 4:40 pm
She’s hoping the drug dealers and others who prefer to conduct their financial dealings anonymously will make contributions to her last place campaign. She forgets the voters didn’t elect her because they liked or trusted her, but because her Republican opponent was a worse candidate than her. It’s like Trump was elected because Hillary was totally unacceptable.
Impeach Biden
January 4, 2022 at 7:34 pm
She will take anything she can get. Drop out Nikki. You are unelectable and really not a nice person.
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