A key executive at Ripple, the firm behind the XRP cryptocurrency, is among multiple signers of a letter endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
Chris Larsen, co-founder and executive chairman at Ripple, has signed a letter endorsing Harris for president, CNBC reported on Sept. 6.
The report cited a letter signed by 88 corporate leaders in the United States and mentioned other prominent signees, including Aaron Levie, co-founder and CEO of the enterprise cloud company Box, Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman, Snap chairman Michael Lynton, and former 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch, among others.
In early August, former Ripple board member Gene Sperling left the White House to join Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign.
Cointelegraph approached Ripple for a comment regarding the endorsement but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
Ex-Ripple board member has joined Harris campaign
The news comes shortly after former Ripple board member Gene Sperling left the White House to join Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign in early August.
Since joining Ripple’s board in 2015, Sperling has served as an economic adviser under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and in President Joe Biden’s administration since 2021.
Sperling is not the only adviser with a crypto background who moved to support Harris’ campaign. David Plouffe, a former adviser to Binance and the crypto payments provider Alchemy Pay, also joined Harris’ presidential campaign, Politico reported on Aug. 2.
Sperling (left) and former US Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke at Ripple’s Swell Conference in 2017. Source: Forbes
Ripple CEO predicted that SEC Chair Gary Gensler would step down no matter who wins the election
With the US presidential election looming in November, many experts have anticipated that the election outcome will significantly affect the crypto industry.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse reportedly predicted that key crypto regulators, such as US Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler, will have to step down no matter who wins the election.
While the potential effects of the election on the crypto market are yet to be known, the crypto industry has apparently been a crucial tool for presidential candidates in the ongoing campaign.
Related: Pro-XRP attorney John Deaton wins Republican US Senate primary
On Aug. 5, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign told Cointelegraph that the candidate could receive campaign donations in crypto through the Future Forward political action committee. US presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump has repeatedly reiterated his support for crypto, promising to “make America the world capital of crypto and Bitcoin.”
More industry executives show support for US presidential candidates
Ripple’s co-founder Larsen isn’t the only prominent crypto executive who showed support for a US presidential candidate
In June, ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood — who is very bullish on Bitcoin in the long term — publicly shared her endorsement of Trump in the election, stating that she will vote for “who’s going to do the best job for our economy.”
Previously, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, co-founders of the crypto trading platform Gemini, pledged $1 million in BTC to Trump’s reelection campaign.
Winklevoss twins with Donald Trump. Source: Tyler Winklevoss
Magazine: Tether for treason in Taiwan, East’s crypto exchange resurgence: Asia Express