'Pro-XRP' lawyer John Deaton runs again for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts

John Deaton, a lawyer well known as an advocate for virtual assets (cryptocurrency), has announced he will challenge Ed Markey, a senior Democratic senator from Massachusetts, in next year’s U.S. Senate election. Deaton lost to Senator Elizabeth Warren last year by about 20%, but he will run again as the Republican candidate.

On the 12th (local time), according to Decrypt, Deaton issued an official statement the day before saying, "I am running again for the U.S. Senate," and that "this time I will face Markey, another Democratic senator from Massachusetts." He has registered as a Republican, and is expected to secure the Republican primary nomination soon with official support from the state party leadership.

Deaton rose to fame as the lawyer in the lawsuit to protect the rights of Ripple (XRP) holders and is a 'pro-crypto' figure active on X (formerly Twitter). In last year’s race against Senator Warren, he criticized Warren’s tough regulation of the virtual asset industry and gained industry support, but ultimately lost by 20% points.

The situation for this election is somewhat different. While Senator Markey is also criticized by the industry, he is not as prominent an anti-crypto politician as Warren. Also, after the start of a second Trump administration, the government has shifted toward pro-virtual-asset policies, and the industry’s sense of crisis has eased considerably compared with last year.

In fact, Deaton’s new campaign website hardly mentions 'virtual asset policy.' However, his bio includes the description, "a lawyer who has fought to protect the rights of Ripple (XRP) investors," and donations can be made in various cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP, as well as meme coins Dogecoin, BONK, and Peanut the Squirrel.

In a March interview, Deaton said, "I believe I have a chance against Senator Markey in the 2026 election," adding that "the support of Fairshake, the industry political funding group, will be crucial." However, Fairshake did not officially support him last year either, allocating funds mainly to candidates in battleground states, and has not disclosed whether it will support him this time.