MAYDAY.US

PRESS RELEASE - Crowd-Funded Super PAC Files FEC Report Detailing $3.3 Million in Contributions

Perry Sacks (Berlin-Rosen) — 2014-07-15

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Thousands of Individual Donors Kickstart Movement to End Influence of Money on Politics

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Mayday PAC, launched by Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig and Republican strategist Mark McKinnon to lessen the influence of big money in politics, will file its first FEC report today, reporting $3.3 million raised from its successful crowd-funding efforts in the second quarter.

The filing covers funds raised through June 30, 2014 and thus doesn’t include donations received in the final days of the PAC’s July 4th fundraising push – an effort that generated another $2.5 million in the final two days.

The PAC’s mission to restore democratic power continues to enjoy broad popular support, with 95 percent of its almost 26,000 contributions coming from citizen contributors who gave less than $200.

“This proves the naysayers wrong – there are literally thousands and thousands of Americans who care deeply about ending the corrosive influence of money in politics,” said Professor Lessig. “They share our anger and disgust at the current system. With their support, we can make reform a real priority.”

“Citizens are standing up and showing their support for campaign finance reform,” explains Mark McKinnon. “We’re proud to offer a platform where every contribution makes a difference.”

The Super PAC, whose mission is to lessen the influence of big money in politics by targeting congressional candidates opposed to campaign finance reform and supporting candidates who are pro-reform, is piloting a strategy to win a Congress committed to fundamental reform by 2016.

In May, the Mayday PAC launched its first crowd-funded campaign to get money out of politics. After surpassing its initial goal of raising $1 million in only 13 days – which was matched by technology entrepreneurs from all sides of the political debate – the PAC launched a second fundraising campaign to raise $5 million through online crowd-funding by July 4th. The Mayday PAC is on track to go from inception to a war chest of over $12 million in just 60 days. The tech community has stood up as a strong supporter of the effort, with [38 percent of kickstarted contributions listed on the report coming from members of the tech world](.

The PAC’s goal is to make campaign finance reform one of the top issues in five soon-to-be-announced congressional races, supporting those who pledge reform and working against those who don’t. It is part of a two election cycle plan to hold candidates accountable to voters on the issue of money in politics and win a Congress committed to enacting campaign finance reform. If successful in the 2014 cycle, the pilot effort will be significantly expanded for the 2016 elections.

Like other Super PACs, Mayday PAC will spend its money independently of any political candidate. Unlike other Super PACs, the names of all contributors above $200 will be reported to the Federal Election Commission, starting with the report to be filed today. It will also list the names of large contributors prominently on its website, and will not accept anonymous contributions from groups that hide the identities of their funders.

Most Americans believe big money donors have too much influence over politics, leading to a dysfunctional government and political decisions that benefit the few, not the many. Recent court decisions, like the D.C Circuit’s SpeechNow decision, have made the problem worse by ending limits on donations, and further increasing the influence of wealthy donors and large corporations.


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