Joe Schiarizzi, a 30-year-old software developer with deep roots in the Ethereum ecosystem, has launched a campaign to represent Virginia’s 7th congressional district as a Democratic House candidate. His announcement, made on a Thursday, comes ahead of November’s midterm elections. If successful, Schiarizzi could become the first crypto developer ever elected to Congress. The district itself may be redrawn later this month pending a statewide ballot measure, which could leave it without an incumbent.
Schiarizzi’s professional background spans several prominent crypto organizations. He previously worked at Consensys, an Ethereum software company, as well as public goods funding protocol Gitcoin and NFT marketplace OpenSea. He contends that cryptocurrency was originally conceived in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis as a means of challenging corporate power and strengthening the economic position of ordinary people. In his view, the technology has since drifted far from those founding principles.
A central theme of Schiarizzi’s campaign is his criticism of the current administration’s relationship with the crypto industry. He argues that the Trump family’s involvement in various crypto ventures represents a form of self-enrichment that has tainted the sector’s reputation. “This is the most corrupt administration in American history, and we need to get serious about accountability,” he told reporters. He specifically cited the president’s meme coin launch as an example of the industry’s misuse.
Schiarizzi also takes aim at what he describes as opportunistic support for crypto among lawmakers in both parties. He argues that many politicians have adopted pro-crypto positions not out of genuine understanding, but to attract or avoid the wrath of large crypto super PACs that have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into recent U.S. elections. “They just want a check and they don’t understand the actual good that these technologies can do for our society if they’re regulated well,” he said. He believes that campaign money should instead flow to candidates who are actual builders with a substantive grasp of the technology.
The candidate envisions a range of practical applications for blockchain technology that he says most Americans could support. These include funding solar power farms through tokenized renewable energy certificates, a project he has personally worked on, and enabling Americans to pay for medical care privately using on-chain transactions. He argues these use cases demonstrate the technology’s potential to deliver tangible benefits to everyday people when properly regulated.
Should he win a seat in Congress, Schiarizzi says he would pursue policies designed to benefit smaller crypto projects and individual users rather than large institutional players. His proposals include simplified tax requirements, legal exemptions for widely used crypto tools, and an expansion of the assets permitted to back dollar-pegged stablecoins to include municipal bonds that could direct funding toward hospitals and schools. He is also a prominent figure in northern Virginia’s YIMBY movement, advocating for a rapid expansion of the housing supply, which he describes as an urgent social priority.
The path to Washington remains competitive for Schiarizzi. Several other Democratic candidates have already declared their intention to run in the redrawn 7th district, including a state senator, a state delegate, and the spouse of a former governor. Schiarizzi does stand apart from the field in at least one respect: his campaign currently accepts donations in Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDC, Fartcoin, and even the Trump meme coin.
Originally reported by Decrypt.
