With New York’s strongly progressive population, a Democratic victory appears likely in the state’s Attorney General race, but the platform of Republican candidate Manny Alicandro demonstrates how blockchain and cryptocurrency issues have seeped into the political sphere. The primary elections will take place on September 13, 2018.
On Monday, three hours after The New Yorker published an article[1] detailing four women's allegations of physical abuse, Eric Schneiderman resigned[2] from his position as New York Attorney General (AG). Schneiderman, who denied the accusations, was the presumptive Democratic nominee, so his abrupt resignation threw a curveball into the 2018 AG race.
In an increasingly chaotic[3] contest, the door is now open for Manny Alicandro, an experienced capital markets attorney and ardent cryptocurrency supporter. The Republican candidate is a gregarious and analytical man with a strong New York accent and an encyclopedic knowledge of major cryptocurrency regulatory issues.
ETHNews spoke with Alicandro, who shared his views on everything from cryptocurrency-based campaign contributions and initial coin offerings (ICOs) to New York's BitLicense and the need for industry self-regulation.
Campaign Contributions
Alicandro plans to accept campaign contributions made in any of the four major cryptocurrencies (bitcoin, bitcoin cash, Ether, and Litecoin). However, he only declared his candidacy on Monday and has yet to set up a formal mechanism to accept the contributions. Readers may remember that last year, as a candidate for New York's 21st congressional district, Patrick Nelson[4] accepted bitcoin contributions through BitPay.
ICOs
Although he has not participated in any ICOs, Alicandro called the fundraising mechanism "an important vehicle" and emphasized the importance of supporting business development. The candidate seemed particularly irked by excessive government regulation.
He said that cryptocurrency regulation has been "overly burdensome" and
