Crypto-savvy advisors from the Biden administration are rallying behind Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign.
One of President Joe Biden’s senior economic advisers and a former board member of Ripple Labs is set to leave the White House to join Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign.
In an announcement on August 5, President Biden revealed that Gene Sperling would be leaving his administration, where he has been a senior adviser since 2021. Reports suggest that Sperling will join Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign with about three months remaining until the presidential election, where Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump are the leading candidates.
Sperling joined Ripple’s board in 2015 after serving as an economic adviser under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. He began his role in the Biden administration in 2021. Currently, Ripple’s website does not list Sperling as a member of its nine-person board of directors.
Sperling’s departure is the latest in a series of moves by White House personnel to support Harris’ presidential bid since President Biden announced on July 21 that he would not seek reelection.
David Plouffe, a former member of Binance’s global advisory board, is also expected to support Vice President Harris’ campaign. Anita Dunn, who took part in a roundtable with crypto industry representatives, is reportedly joining a Democratic-focused political action committee.
It remains unclear if any of these advisers will have roles specifically related to cryptocurrency or blockchain, as the Harris campaign is reportedly considering a public stance on the technology. Certain campaign officials are expected to attend a roundtable event this week, including representatives from crypto firms and US lawmakers.
Many experts predict that crypto will be a significant issue in the 2024 US election between leading candidates Harris, Trump, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Trump, who spoke at the Bitcoin 2024 conference on July 27, made several promises about his administration’s plans for crypto and blockchain.
In contrast, the Harris campaign — only about two weeks old — has not yet provided a clear position on digital assets. The vice president is expected to announce her running mate by August 6, with potential candidates including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
