More than half of voters in the United States are more likely to vote for a pro-crypto candidate versus one who is not, Craig Salm, Grayscale’s chief legal officer, said on Oct. 16.
Grayscale partnered with The Harris Poll, a market researcher, to poll US voters on attitudes toward cryptocurrency, Salm said during an interview with Janet Alvarez on Serious XM Business Radio.
The poll also found that two out of every five Americans “say they’re paying more attention to a candidate’s position on Bitcoin as a crypto asset compared to previous elections,” according to Salm.
“[C]learly, this poll shows that Americans do care whether a candidate is down on crypto,” he said.
The November US presidential election pits Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has said he wants to make America “the crypto capital of the world,” against Democrat Kamala Harris, who has been comparatively quiet on the industry.
United States Vice President Harris is friendlier toward cryptocurrency than her boss, President Joe Biden, but not as pro-industry as rival and former President Trump, Galaxy Research said on Oct. 14.
As of Oct. 17, Kalshi, an election betting marketplace, pegs Trump’s odds of winning the election at 57%, versus 43% for rival Harris.
Bettors on Polymarket, a decentralized prediction market on the Polygon network, are even more bullish on Trump, pegging his odds at 61% versus less than 38% for Harris.
Inflation continues to impact voters
According to Salm, 30% of poll respondents said inflation is the single most pressing problem in America. This is where assets like Bitcoin can come in handy.
“[G]iven that Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other crypto assets can serve as a hedge against inflation and a store of value. To us, it’s not surprising to learn that Americans are increasingly focused on where their candidates stand on crypto,” Salm said.
Starting in September, Harris began to up her crypto game, listing blockchain technology among several emerging sectors where she wants the US to “remain dominant.”
“We also found that crypto is transcending party affiliation. Folks like to say crypto is bipartisan, but we like to say it’s nonpartisan,” Salm said.
Grayscale is the world’s largest crypto fund manager, with more than $20 billion in assets under management as of October, according to Grayscale.
Source: cointelegraph.com
