Representative Mike Collins, a United States congressman for the state of Georgia, announced that his congressional campaign is now accepting cryptocurrency donations as of March 5.
Donations can be made in Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Dogecoin (DOGE), Solana (SOL), USDt (USDT) and others. Collins released a statement alongside the announcement:
“America has been held back by our reluctance to adapt to emerging technology, whether that be AI, machine learning, or alternative assets like crypto. I hope that by introducing this platform, I can destigmatize the crypto industry.”
The lawmaker previously disclosed $65,000 in ETH purchases during 2024 and several altcoin acquisitions, including up to $15,000 in Velodrome (VELO), up to $15,000 in The Graph (GRT), and up to $115,000 in Aerodrome Finance (AERO).
More recently, Collins disclosed a purchase of Ski Mask Dog (SKI), a memecoin launched in 2024. The disclosures mark a seismic shift in the political perception of digital assets as lawmakers and political candidates increasingly accept campaign contributions denominated in crypto.
Rep. Collins addressing Congress in 2024. Source: Rep. Mike Collins
Related: Crypto giving exceeded $1B in 2024 — Report
United States presidential candidates accept crypto political donations
Robert F. Kennedy Jr became the first US presidential candidate to accept BTC for campaign donations in May 2023.
Speaking at the Bitcoin 2023 conference in Miami, Florida, the former independent candidate called BTC an asset that promotes freedom, individual liberty and democracy.
Former Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy followed suit days after Kennedy and also announced that his campaign would accept political campaign contributions in BTC.
“Let’s make the 2024 election a referendum on fiat currency,” the former candidate told the audience at Bitcoin 2023.
During the 2024 US elections, now President Donald Trump announced his campaign would accept cryptocurrencies, including BTC, ETH, DOGE, SOL, USDC (USDC), Shiba Inu (SHIB), and XRP (XRP).
Trump promised to end the war on crypto, and following his reelection in November 2024, the US government dramatically shifted its posture toward cryptocurrencies.
This regulatory pivot included the Securities and Exchange Commission ending several high-profile lawsuits against industry firms and opening dialogue with industry executives.
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