The former DeFi developer-turned-aspiring lawmaker in Oregon’s sixth congressional district Matt West, will sell a collection of Ethereum-based NFTs called “The CryptoBeaver” to raise money for his campaign.
The NFTs feature Oregon’s state animal ‘beavers’ as a cartoon sketch drawn by film poster artist Paul Zeaiter. These NFTs range in price and rarity, with the most expensive tiers topping out near $5,800, according to Democrat West.
West’s NFTs are ‘absolutely’ on Ethereum; they’ll only be available for purchase in ether (ETH). Being a developer on the Ethereum-based DeFi protocol Yearn Finance, West’s NFT drop makes it an even more anticipated move.
It’s difficult to comment whether these beaver NFTs will make a difference in the battle for Oregon’s newest congressional district. In what has become an expensive primary fight, nine Democrats are vying for the party nomination. Campaigns and political action committees (PACs) are expected to spend $15 million by May 17th, according to one candidate.
Several other political candidates have also dipped their toes in the NFT space in an effort to cash in on trendy digital collectibles. Last month, South Korea’s Yoon Suk-yeol issued NFTs with his own images and videos on the Aergo blockchain for about $40.
From using NFTs as a fundraising tool for election campaigns to gaining support from the crypto community, politicians didn’t miss a chance to ride the NFT wave.
West expressed his opinion on smart contracts, blockchains other than Ethereum saying, “there have been a few who have been successful but most of the time they aren’t treated with respect. They’re not necessarily tradable. They’re not mintable, You pay for it on credit card and on an alt-chain.”
Crypto’s presence is clearly visible in the race for Oregon 6 with or without the West NFTs. Oregon State House Representative Andrea Salinas once voted to bar blockchain applications from all public services in the state. Also, another candidate Cody Reynolds is a crypto investor running a self-funded campaign.
