If you can\u2019t join them, beat them. That\u2019s the strategy behind a new political SuperPAC launched in May 2014 by Harvard economics professor Lawrence Lessig. The SuperPAC is named MayDay PAC.<\/p>\n
Lessig\u2014an outspoken critic of the negative impact of dark money on political campaigns<\/a>\u2014is fighting fire with fire by attempting to raise $12 million, which will ultimately be applied to five targeted Congressional races in the 2014 mid-term elections, yet to be chosen. Lessig wants to focus on candidates who are committed to campaign-finance reform. And, by the way, Lessig does, indeed, see the irony of the need to fight big-money\u2019s influence by\u2026raising big money.<\/p>\n According to Think Progress:<\/p>\n Lessig vows that 100 percent of the money will go to candidates who want to reform campaign finance, and all overhead costs<\/a> will be paid by the directors. Lessig hopes to use the maritime and aeronautical distress signal, \u201cmayday\u201d, as a call to action to end the growing influence that the 1 percent holds over American politics<\/a>. \u201cOur democracy is held hostage by the funders of campaigns. We\u2019re going to pay the ransom, and get it back,\u201d Lessig said in the launch video. \u201cWe want to build a Super PAC big enough to end all Super PACs.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Lessig\u2019s effort comes as a response to recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings that opened the floodgates to unlimited and undisclosed campaign donations. Think Progress reports that the 2012 election broke records for outside spending on elections, with over $300 million spent by outside groups that do not have to disclose donor information<\/a>. The 2014 election is likely to surpass even that sum.<\/p>\n