Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner, Nikki Fried, is running for the state’s governor seat, and her political committee is accepting donations by cryptocurrency.
According to the Florida Consumers First committee supporting her bid for Governor, this is a first in Florida’s history. Fried is the only elected Democrat in Florida.
Ben Kuehne, the committee’s first treasurer, said by accepting crypto donations they’re opening doors for grassroots donors “and others who feel abandoned by our corrupt political finance system a chance to participate in our mission.”
Kuehne continued, urging Fried’s supporters “who believe in [her] expensive message of putting Florida consumers first [should] fully embrace the movement by contributing through cryptocurrency from our website”.
Fried to “democratize” the monetary system
The announcement (in the form of a video) was aired on her Twitter social media page. In it, the Florida Governor hopeful is heard criticizing and airing a list of grievances against banks such as Wells Fargo.
Fried pointed a finger at Wells Fargo for discriminating against minorities and further blamed the institution for the 2008 housing crash. She also accused the bank of opening fake accounts to boost stock prices.
As such, she promised the people of Florida to prioritize the “democratization” of the monetary system when elected governor, citing the move will force banks to compete for resources and trust.
Fried struggling to raise funds
In 2018, after announcing plans to support the legalization of medical marijuana, Wells Fargo shut down Fried’s campaign. In a move that feels like a personal vendetta to the bank, Fried hinted about “teaching them a lesson”.
“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.”
She continued, adding: “I want you to be part of this movement to get power back to the people and save our democracy.”
Her supporters were quick to remind her about the volatility of Bitcoin and other negativities. But Fried assured them that “government can make it better [and regulate crypto] especially environmentally and help expand access to capital.”
Fried is currently struggling to raise funds for her gubernatorial campaign.
Since entering the contest in June last year, Fried has only managed to raise a small monthly number of funds. Last year in November, Florida Consumers First political committee raised an estimated $111,000, and nearly $107,000 for her official campaign.
She’s currently facing Senator Annette Taddeo and US Representative Charlie Crist in the upcoming Democratic primary.
