Democrats’ Midterm Win and Its Impact on Crypto Regulation

Democrats swept both chambers of Congress in the recent midterm elections, yet crypto still lacks a market‑structure law. Laura Shin hosts Justin Slaughter, VP of Regulatory Affairs at Paradigm, and Mike Katz, Partner at Manatt, to discuss the political shift. They say the Clarity Act appears dead in the lame‑duck session. The guests outline four possible elements of a House Financial Services crypto bill, including stricter DeFi rules and a potential shift of oversight from the CFTC to the SEC. They also examine whether current rules from SEC Chair Atkins and CFTC Chair Selig could endure under a Democratic Congress, and argue for new crypto regulations designed to survive future courts and administrations.