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Mayday PAC Hits Ambitious Goal Meant To Get Money Out Of Politics

Lawrence Lessig's super PAC, aimed at getting money out of politics, has reached its goal.

Another campaign inspired by the late Aaron Swarz. Get involved! Don't just sit back and see what happens:

The “super PAC to end all super PACs” reached its fund-raising goal in just over two months, but now comes the hard part: winning elections.

The Mayday PAC, a project begun May 1 by the Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig, seeks to elect a Congress that will achieve “fundamental reform in the way political campaigns are funded by 2016,” beginning with five pilot races in this year’s House elections. In a July 4 posting to supporters after announcing the PAC reached its goal, Mr. Lessig wrote, “You have guaranteed” change.

The PAC raised $1 million in its first month and reached another $5 million by Friday. A storm of donors posted on social media on the Fourth of July about getting “big money out of politics” and ending political corruption. The $6 million raised is to be matched by other donors, for a total of $12 million to spend on the midterms.

The Mayday PAC’s website says the $12 million will be spent in five House races to be announced on July 15. That amount isn’t insignificant: The reported outside spending so far this cycle in West Virginia’s Third District, one of the more competitive general election contests, is $2 million.

Mayday eventually plans to push for legislation that would replace the campaign finance system for federal candidates with incentives for candidates to raise small-dollar donations that would then be matched by public money (New York City has a similar system).

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