John Deaton is a 58-year-old Republican attorney, cryptocurrency advocate, and U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He was born in Detroit and grew up relying on food stamps and public assistance before moving to Massachusetts in 1992 to attend New England Law Boston. He earned his J.D. from New England School of Law in 1995 and served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1995 to 2002 with military service experience. Deaton had a Rhode Island law firm specializing in asbestos cases before relocating to Swansea, Massachusetts ahead of the 2024 election, where he sold his Rhode Island home. He is known as a prominent pro-XRP cryptocurrency advocate and attorney who represented XRP investors in high-profile litigation against the SEC. In the 2024 U.S. Senate race, Deaton lost to Senator Elizabeth Warren by nearly 20 percentage points but received 40% of the vote and carried his home county of Bristol, outperforming Warren's previous challenger by 4 points. He is also a bestselling author. In November 2025, Deaton announced his second Senate campaign, this time challenging incumbent Democrat Ed Markey, positioning himself as an 'independent voice' focused on government accountability and economic fairness for working families.