Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig is considering a run for president, according to Politico:
Lessig’s candidacy is aimed at securing passage of the Citizen Equality Act of 2017, a legislative proposal for voter protection laws, new methods for electing representatives and a greater focus on citizen-funded elections.
In his launch video, he explains that he is running to put “citizen equality” on the map, and unless a leading candidate, “whether Hillary or Bernie or Joe or someone else” adopts that mantle, Lessig himself would run as a “referendum president,” serving only as long as it takes to pass that agenda.
Lessig has long been involved in major legal and policy debates. He’s been a strong advocate of copyright reform, and lately he’s been advocating campaign finance reform. Strictly speaking, this isn’t his first foray into electoral politics. Lessig, fully aware of the contradictions involved, tried to start a super PAC with former Bush advisor Mark MacKinnon that would elect a pro-campaign finance reform majority by 2016. The effort burned through $10 million and was widely acknowledged to be a failure — though it did further raise Lessig’s profile and generate lots of favorable publicity.
While a Lessig candidacy is obviously a longshot, campaign finance reform — and specifically, overturning Citizens United — is deeply resonant with an influential sector of the Democratic base. Whether or not Lessig throws his hat in the ring, he could well have a significant impact on the Democratic primary.
