MAYDAY.US

It's on.

Lawrence Lessig — 2014-07-29

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As reported today in the New York Times, we have announced our first two campaigns.

Can you think of anything significant about making campaign finance reform a top voting issue in Iowa and New Hampshire? (Hint: 2016).

In the New Hampshire Republican Senate primary, we are supporting two-term State Senator Jim Rubens, the only Republican U.S. Senate candidate in the nation who has openly endorsed fundamental reform to the way campaigns are funded. Better yet, he’s made political reform his central issue. While most Republicans in Congress oppose reform, this is a race where reformers can show that we will have the backs of those brave Republicans who buck special interests and do the right thing.

We are opposing former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown. Brown’s record shows that he supports Citizens United, opposes federal public financing, and he was the deciding vote against the most bare-minimum disclosure statute. And after agreeing to a “People’s Pledge” in his race against Elizabeth Warren in 2012, he refuses to now.

In a key open seat in Iowa’s 3rd congressional district, we’re supporting Democrat Staci Appel, a former State Senator who sponsored a voter-owned clean elections fund and supports small dollar public funding proposals, like Congressman Sarbanes’ Government by the People Act. We are opposing a DC insider whose largest funding comes from Washington lobbyists.

That’s two of five – three more to go. But here’s why we are only announcing two districts right now.

Today, our announcement also serves as a warning shot to those on Capitol Hill and across the country that want to maintain the status quo. If a candidate for Congress wants to be inoculated from being on our target list, there is an easy way to do so: get on the right side of reform. Pledge to support one or more of the fundamental reforms listed at reform.to – for each of them would change the way campaigns are funded, by reducing the influence of special interests.

Before we announce the next ones, we need your help.

We created this page for you to easily locate and call representatives in your area and urge them to inoculate themselves by supporting reform. Check reform.to to see where candidates near you stand on the issue. If your representatives haven’t supported any of the reforms, call them, email them, Tweet them, and show up at Townhall meetings and demand an answer. If you get them on the record, let us know.

Deadline: Candidates have until 5 PM EST next Tuesday, August 5, to inoculate themselves. That means we have one week to urge candidates to do the right thing.

We are excited about the two races announced in the New York Times today. They won’t be easy. But we’re not looking for easy victories. We’re looking for races where a victory – or even significant progress – shocks the political establishment and has ripple effects for years to come. Because that’s what it will take to convince the insiders that America is ready for reform.

Thank you for all you’ve done.

– Lessig


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