New Jersey Rep.<\/u> Josh Gottheimer appears set to gain another ally in his ongoing effort to undermine Democratic priorities on taxation and social welfare spending. Absent a rapid consolidation by progressive elements in the district, that ally, Long Island congressional candidate Joshua Lafazan, appears increasingly likely to win a hotly contested primary, where he has benefited from a fractured field, a lack of attention to his controversial record, and the last-minute support of a super PAC with ties to crypto interests.<\/p>\n
Cryptocurrency billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried is spending<\/a>\u00a0over half a million dollars through his political action committee aimed at pandemic prevention, Protect Our Future, to boost Lafazan in the run-up to the New York Democratic primary on Tuesday. The support from cryptocurrency interests, which Lafazan appears to have actively courted during his campaign and time in the Nassau County Legislature, gives\u00a0him\u00a0a financial advantage\u00a0over a crowded field vying to replace retiring representative and failed gubernatorial candidate Tom Suozzi.<\/p>\n Voters in the 3rd District have a history of electing corporate-friendly Democrats. Suozzi, who has endorsed Lafazan, is considered one of the staunchest defenders of business interests in the caucus. But while Suozzi is a reliable defender of key Democratic priorities like firearm regulation, abortion rights, and LGBTQ+ protections, Lafazan\u2019s history suggests there are few, if any, issues he is unwilling to compromise on in order to secure elected office.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n That Lafazan has not rejected the sizable outside support raises further questions about his independence from corporate interests and conservative activists who have supported his prior runs for public office. Lafazan, who registered as a Democrat in order to run for Congress last year, has accepted the ballot line of a far-right New York political party in his last two runs for office and has long touted his close relationships with local business interests \u2014 including a recent endorsement<\/a> from corporate interest group No Labels, which worked to halt the passage of President Joe Biden\u2019s domestic agenda last year. Lafazan, who is presenting himself as a mainstream Democrat in his campaign\u2019s political advertisements, did not respond to multiple requests to comment for this story.<\/p>\n Lafazan\u2019s apparent public auditioning for support from crypto kings began in March, when he self-published an op-ed<\/a> extolling the technology\u2019s virtues. In it, he drew attention to legislation he introduced in the county legislature to create a task force charged with \u201cexploring how crypto can help bolster Nassau\u2019s economy\u201d and determining ways to attract crypto businesses to the county. That op-ed was followed by an announcement<\/a> in June that his campaign would accept donations made via cryptocurrency, though it is unclear whether any donors have actually chosen to utilize the option.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Please see my Op Ed submitted to the Syosset Advance titled \u201cTime for Nassau to get Serious About Crypto\u201d pic.twitter.com\/COx6pUFQbR<\/a><\/p>\n — Josh Lafazan (@JoshLafazan) March 28, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n