For passersby, it was like any other concert, with a pumped-up crowd welcoming back a homegrown hero. Platinum-selling rapper Big Sean was shouting out love on stage to his mother … and crypto. 

“I might buy red bottoms with the crypto. Three coins, that’ll pay ya whole semester. But you gotta ride it better than a Tesla,” he rapped from his song “Big Bank,” followed by giving props to being on chain. 

The crowd erupted. 

But this was no Big Sean concert. It was the “America Loves Crypto” bus tour, a seven-city series of events across five key swing states sponsored by the Coinbase advocacy arm Stand With Crypto. Headliners included the Black Keys, the Chainsmokers, Big Sean, Lauv, Black Pumas, Jessie Murph and 070 Shake. 

With over 15 percent of Americans owning some form of crypto, digital assets have made their way into U.S. politics like never before. Stand With Crypto believes digital assets advocates, many of which are single-issue voters, could influence the outcome of a tight race. 

During the big purple bus tour, over 400,000 attendees have checked their voter registration using Stand With Crypto's voter registration tool, according to the advocacy group.  

Research by Paradigm highlights how crypto continues to skew young, male, and non-white, with 29 percent of men having bought crypto versus 12 percent of women. Forty percent of men aged 18 – 54 own digital assets while 23 percent of non-white voters have bought crypto compared with 19 percent of white voters. Earlier this month, Vice President Kamala Harris released a proposal that outlined ways to protect black men who invest in crypto. Former President Donald Trump has advocated for a U.S. strategic reserve of Bitcoin and is seen by many in the industry as more pro-crypto than his opponent. 

Crypto has very much become a social issue, not just a financial issue – as Cody Carbone, chief policy officer at the Digital Chamber, said to Decential in a recent interview. 

Given continued regulatory uncertainty in the U.S., it’s an election that will determine not only crypto’s future but the country’s stronghold on technology and innovation. 

According to Sabrina Siddiqui from Stand With Crypto, the bus tour showed how excited people are about digital assets. “The concerts were fun, but people were also really excited for the event itself,” she said. “Many of the artists who were selected are fans of on-chain and understand the value of crypto.” 

The Chainsmokers were an early mover with on-chain music royalties. 

The purple bus was both a prop and a way to make a statement. “We’re non-partisan. We’re not meant to be red like Republicans or blue like Democrats,” Siddiqui said. 

Attendees took photos with the bus, which transported the crew, equipment and swag to each city. 

Mobilizing crypto voters, educating legislators  

The latest data from Stand With Crypto’s scorecard revealed 64 candidates have moved from having an anti-crypto stands to boeing pro-crypto, while 291 have moved from having no stance to being pro-crypto.

In addition, tracking data shows 307 candidates supported at least one prominent pro-crypto bill.

Siddiqui said the Stand With Crypto initiatives will continue post-election. “There are 1.8 million advocates right now,” she said. “Our goal by the 2026 midterms is to have four million advocates.” 

Fairshake, the pro-crypto Super PAC, has raised over $204 million this election cycle.