Lessig Reaches $1 Million Crowdfunding Goal, Enters 2016 Race
Last month, Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig announced his intentions to enter the 2016 Democratic primary if he could raise $1 million in small-donor contributions by Labor Day. Over the weekend, he reached that goal and visited ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos to say, “I’m in.”
In his introduction, Stephanopoulos called Lessig “the most unusual candidate for president this year” because of his dedication to one single issue, campaign finance reform, and his promise to resign from office as soon as that agenda is accomplished.
“I think I’m running to get people to acknowledge the elephant in the room,” Lessig said Sunday morning. “We have to recognize — we have a government that does not work. The stalemate, partisan platform of American politics in Washington right now doesn’t work.”
Because he would serve as president only until he can pass his Citizens Equality Act of 2017, which includes as its three pillars equal voting rights, equal representation in Congress and citizen funded elections, his choice of vice president becomes extremely important. With that in mind, Lessig’s website has a page where you can vote for his VP pick.
Options include both Democratic candidates like Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, figures like Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren who have not entered the race, and less-likely possibilities like Jon Stewart and Neil deGrasse Tyson. So far, he has not released the survey results.
If Lessig can reach the 1% benchmark in national polls over the next few weeks, he will be able to participate in the first Democratic debate on October 13 in Nevada.
Watch video below, via ABC:
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[Photo via screengrab]
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