The midterm elections in the U.S. have come to a close. While the final votes are being counted and recounted, and a number of politicians are complaining about the results, the cryptocurrency industry is going to enjoy some extra support. A few states have elected governors and other legislators that have built their platforms on the promise of expanding cryptocurrency adoption.
In Colorado, Jared Polis (Democrat), won the right to take over the governor’s mansion. Polis is a dedicated crypto supporter who has often said that he would fight the “anti-crypto” mantra that exists and push for more legislation at the federal level.
The new governor has long been a crypto supporter. He made his position well known in 2014, when he was serving as a member of the House of Representatives, when he said that he would use his powers in Congress to fight against crypto restrictions. Polis beat his Democratic opponent, Colorado state Treasurer Walker Stapleton, by a 6% margin.
Polis has said that, as governor, he wants to use blockchain technology to improve elections and that he wants to create a “statewide safe harbor designed to exempt cryptocurrencies from state money transmissions laws.” He is also a co-founder of the Congressional Blockchain Congress, a group formed in February of last year for “the advancement of sound public policy toward blockchain-based technologies and digital currencies.”
Out west, California has also decided that a crypto enthusiast needs to be its governor. The state’s former Lieutenant Governor, Gavin Newsom, will replace Jerry Brown, who is being forced out by term limits. Given that The Golden State is already known as the hotbed of tech innovation, having Newsom at the helm is a perfect fit.
Newsom, a Democrat, said four years ago, “I should promote the technology ever so subtly by saying I’ll accept bitcoin in the campaign… I’m ready for it, but how the hell do I explain it to anybody?”
Gavin beat Republican John Cox, a man who has been John Kaplan (his name at birth), an entrepreneur, an accountant, an attorney, a politician and both a Democrat and a Republican – he switched parties after losing a bid for a delegate position with the 1976 Democratic National Convention.
Both Polis and Newsom are in for a challenge, but they have the political power to make change. 2019 will almost certainly turn out to be a pivotal year for cryptocurrencies and blockchains.
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