Harvard professor to ‘hack’ politics with White House run
By Associated Press | August 11, 2015, 14:50 EDT
(Courtesy of Wikimedia) Written by Julie Bykowicz
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Harvard law professor wants to “hack” the political system by running for president.
On Tuesday, Lawrence Lessig will begin a crowd-funded campaign for the Democratic nomination, filing the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission.
Lessig said he plans to set himself apart from Democratic frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders by focusing exclusively on “unrigging the political system,” which he said rewards the wealthy and powerful donors who fund political campaigns.
If he raises at least $1 million by Labor Day and doesn’t believe the other candidates are sufficiently focused on “returning political power to citizens,” he said he will resign his position at Harvard and work to win the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
Lessig plans to lay out his plan to increase voter rights, redraw congressional districts and push for citizen funding of all federal campaigns during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday.
A presidential run is Lessig’s latest political experiment.
During the 2014 midterm elections, he formed a “super PAC to end all super PACs.” Mayday PAC, as it was called, spent money in races where its strategists thought they could help elect candidates who opposed big money in politics.
The super PAC raised $11 million and lost six of the eight contests in which it participated.
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