Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren has won the Massachusetts senate seat over crypto-friendly Republican John Deaton in a landslide victory.
Warren — arguably the most high-profile crypto critic in US politics — has secured 74% of the 145,000 or so votes counted so far, according to election data from the Associated Press.
Associated Press called the count when less than 1% of the votes had been counted.
Results from the Massachusetts Senate race Source: The Associated Press
Deaton was considered a longshot against Warren, who has held a seat in the US Senate since 2013 and held a 20 to 30 percentage point lead in most polls before the official vote count.
Deaton is a well-known crypto lawyer who advocated for XRP (XRP) token holders throughout Ripple’s long-running legal battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Deaton gained significant backing from the leaders in the crypto space, securing $2 million in funding from Gemini co-founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss and Ripple.
Warren’s victory marks the beginning of her third term in the US Senate.
The Associated Press has also called a victory for Democrats in Massachusetts, with 11 electoral college votes secured for Kamala Harris.
In mid-October, Deaton and Warren faced off in two senate debates where Deaton accused Warren of building an “anti-crypto army” instead of prioritizing other issues impacting the lower and middle class in the state.
Warren claimed she is “fine” with people who want to buy and sell digital assets but wants to ensure the crypto industry “follows the same rules” as banks and stockbrokers — namely consumer protection and counter-terrorism laws.
Warren drew criticism after introducing the Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act in 2023, which, if passed, would require financial institutions to keep records and report suspicious crypto activity to federal regulators to aid in detecting money laundering and terrorist financing activities.
Warren and Deaton agreed that traditional banking has failed many Americans but didn’t see eye-to-eye on how those problems should be resolved.
Deaton’s loss means the Democrats will be extending their 11-year streak of controlling both Massachusetts seats in the US Senate.
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This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.