{"id":18248,"date":"2025-11-22T15:54:39","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T14:54:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wsj-crypto.com\/?p=18248"},"modified":"2025-11-22T15:54:39","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T14:54:39","slug":"former-coinbase-lawyer-declares-candidacy-for-ny-ag-focuses-on-crypto-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wsj-crypto.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/22\/former-coinbase-lawyer-declares-candidacy-for-ny-ag-focuses-on-crypto-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Coinbase Lawyer Declares Candidacy for NY AG, Focuses on Crypto Rules"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Khurram Dara, once a policy lawyer at the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, has officially kicked off his campaign for New York State Attorney General!<\/p>\n

In a Friday announcement, Dara highlighted<\/a> his extensive \u201cregulatory and policy expertise, especially in the crypto and fintech arenas,\u201d as key reasons for his challenge to Attorney General Letitia James in 2026.<\/p>\n

Since August, the former Coinbase lawyer had been hinting<\/a> at his plans to run, claiming that James has engaged in \u201clawfare\u201d against New York’s crypto scene.<\/p>\n

Source: <\/em>Khurram Dara<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before July, Dara was the regulatory and policy lead at Bain Capital Crypto, the investment firm’s digital asset division. According to his LinkedIn, he served as Coinbase\u2019s policy counsel from June 2022 to January 2023 and has experience with crypto companies like Fluidity and Airswap.<\/p>\n

Attorney General James, who has been in office since 2019, has come under fire from many in the crypto world for taking legal action against firms on behalf of impacted New Yorkers, including Genesis, KuCoin, and NovaTech. The next attorney general will have significant power when it comes to deciding whether to bring charges against crypto companies.<\/p>\n

Related: <\/strong><\/em>New York AG urges Congress to bolster protections in crypto bills<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Dara, who plans to run as a Republican, also echoed the recent campaign<\/a> of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, pointing out New Yorkers\u2019 concerns about living costs and affordability. Cointelegraph reached out to Dara for comment but hadn\u2019t received a response at the time of publishing.<\/p>\n

The lawyer who represented XRP holders is also running for office again<\/h2>\n

As the deadline for candidates to declare their runs approached, former Massachusetts senatorial candidate John Deaton announced<\/a> his intention to challenge a Democrat once again.<\/p>\n

Deaton previously ran against Senator Elizabeth Warren in 2024, losing by roughly 700,000 votes. However, on November 10, he declared his candidacy as a Republican to take on Senator Ed Markey in 2026.<\/p>\n