#178 - What a crypto lawyer learns from campaigning for New York Attorney General with Khurram Dara

What happens when a crypto policy lawyer decides to run for one of the most powerful regulatory positions in the United States — New York Attorney General?

Khurram Dara is a former policy team member at Coinbase and regulatory policy principal at Bain Capital Crypto. After years working in crypto regulation and policy, he left the private sector to run for the Republican nomination for Attorney General of New York, focusing his campaign on reversing lawfare, regulatory overreach, and using the role of New York Attorney general to shape national policy.

Timestamps

➡️ 1:24 — Coinbase, the SEC, and why regulation-by-enforcement pushed Dara toward politics
➡️ 4:13 — Why state attorneys general have become “regulators of last resort”
➡️ 9:30 — Running for office without prior political experience
➡️ 11:31 — How statewide campaigns actually start: conventions, delegates, and ballot access
➡️ 17:02 — Campaign execution: fundraising, messaging, and building a political operation
➡️ 24:27 — What Dara learned about fundraising and donor dynamics
➡️ 28:08 — What “lawfare” means and why it concerns the crypto industry
➡️ 33:08 — The economic impact of regulation through litigation
➡️ 37:40 — How state AG offices could be reformed
➡️ 45:45 — Why state-level crypto regulation may be the next battleground

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by the Decentralization Research Center (DRC), a nonprofit think tank advocating for decentralization in emerging technologies. Learn more at thedrcenter.org.

Resources: 

👨‍⚖️ SEC Dismissal of Civil Enforcement Against Coinbase
📄 Press release for Attorney General James’ lawsuit against Trump family financial business

📄 Press release for Oregon lawsuit against Coinbase

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Views expressed by the guest are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of their employers. Listening to this podcast does not create an attorney-client relationship.