As November’s midterms approach, a new wave of legislators could join Washington, potentially introducing America’s first crypto developer as a congressman.
Joe Schiarizzi, an experienced Ethereum developer, announced his candidacy for the Democratic House seat in Virginia’s suburbs on Thursday. He aims to run in the 7th congressional district, which might be redrawn due to a ballot measure and currently lacks an incumbent.
Although crypto’s influence grew in Washington last year with President Donald Trump, Schiarizzi stands out as both a vocal critic of the president and someone who has firsthand experience creating decentralized technologies now debated in Congress.
At 30 years old and hailing from Virginia, Schiarizzi has worked for major companies like Consensys (an editorially independent Decrypt investor), Gitcoin, and OpenSea. He argues that crypto was conceived post-2008 financial crisis as a means to challenge corporate power and empower workers.
Schiarizzi believes the technology should return to these origins rather than being associated with Trump family ventures aimed at personal gain. “This administration is unprecedentedly corrupt,” Schiarizzi told Decrypt, emphasizing the need for accountability.
He envisions crypto supporting diverse applications such as tokenized renewable energy certificates for solar projects—a venture he has undertaken himself—and enabling private, on-chain payments to doctors to ensure universal healthcare access. “These are initiatives Americans can support,” he stated, contrasting them with the meme coin scams associated with the president.
On March 24, 2026, Schiarizzi tweeted: ‘The most corrupt government we’ve ever had by several orders of magnitude. I don’t even trade equity and futures anymore because the markets rigged by hedge funds connected to Trump family insiders.’
Schiarizzi criticizes current pro-crypto lawmakers as opportunists seeking crypto PAC support, warning that their funding might bolster Republicans undermining rights and privacy. “That money could instead support genuine builders aiming to enhance lives through technology,” he said.
If elected, Schiarizzi plans to advocate for crypto policies favoring small projects and users with simpler taxes and legal exemptions. He would also push for dollar-pegged stablecoins backed by municipal bonds to fund essential services like hospitals and schools.
A leader in the “YIMBY” movement in northern Virginia, he stresses the urgent need to expand housing supply to address soaring home ownership costs threatening societal cohesion.
Schiarizzi’s congressional journey is uncertain. Competing Democrats for Virginia’s potential 7th district include a state senator, a delegate, and a former governor’s wife. Yet, Schiarizzi uniquely accepts campaign donations in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Fartcoin, USDC, and even the Trump meme coin.