Please join us over at PledgeBank to show your support for DRAFT LESSIG.  You are saying that you have or will give at least $23 and/or volunteer for the campaign if Lawrence Lessig runs for the Congress.  A great new way to show your involvement in the DRAFT LESSIG Challenge!

Many, many thanks for all the unbelievable efforts on behalf of the DRAFT LESSIG Challenge. The creative and hard-working responses of so many to this challenge show how well Larry Lessig’s message would resonate in the event that he decides to run for Congress for the CA-12th.

Where we stand, and what you can do:

FUNDRAISING: Through your hard work, ActBlue shows that the Lessig would-be campaign has 450+ contributions and $38,000+ in total funds, well more than the two other candidates (who have declared) combined. This is an exceptional performance over a few days. It also doesn’t include additional funds pledged (from $10 to $2,300) by those who say they’ll give if and when he gets in the race, nor does it include all those ActBlue contributions before he created his committee ($2500+). The single most important thing that anyone can do, though, is to keep this fundraising effort going. If you haven’t contributed, please do; if you can contribute again, please do; and most of all, please email at least 10 friends and point them to ActBlue, and urge them to give between now and Monday.

We’ve also got at least 6 fundraisers planned: SF, Boston, NY, DC, Austin, and Chicago. If you are willing to co-host or give at an event, please let us know at info@draftlessig.org or track down finance chair Betsy Masiello. Or put it on the wiki.

VOLUNTEERS: Amazing responses! The Facebook group is more than 4000 strong. The email has been too heavy to answer all of — apologies to anyone who has not gotten a reply email; we’ve got you down and are so delighted to hear the feedback from the committees that are organizing many creative efforts — from Hackfest to video creation to Second Life to Meetups in person and on and on. Keep it coming. We have hundreds of volunteers engaged and ready to rock if the campaign goes into full swing.

WHAT MORE YOU CAN DO: Please join the doubled-down, 1000 Strong to DRAFT LESSIG Facebook group to commit to more, and join the “I
Donated $23 to DRAFT LESSIG” group if you gave $23 or more.

We’ll have another call over the weekend, on Sunday mid-day, to gear up for the week. Stay tuned for call-in info. And keep up the netroots efforts — they’re working! Many thanks, all.

Great stats, as the momentum in the DRAFT LESSIG Challenge continues to build:

- the ActBlue contributions are up to 430+ and $35,000+ (more than the other two candidates combined);

- the Facebook group is screaming toward 4,000 members;

- a few hundred more have pledged their cash and volunteer support in the event of a Lessig run (sorry to those whose emails to <info@draftlessig.org> have gone unanswered; keep ‘em coming; we’re catching up to the backlog!!!).  Many people are saying they’ll give at all levels: $10, $500, $2300 in emails today; and,

- another hundred have joined the new, doubled-down, super-duper Lessig Facebook group to commit to get 10 friends to contribute, to contribute themselves, to recruit new members, and to volunteer time. Join us there!

Keep those emails and invites going out. We will meet the DRAFT LESSIG Challenge of 1,000 in a week, but keeping pushing forward to get there. Thanks, all.

If you didn’t see it, a great & extensive interview with our would-be candidate at Ars Technica about his possible two-pronged campaign.

Less than two days ago, we began the DRAFT LESSIG Challenge: for 1,000+ people to donate money, pledge to donate if a campaign materials, and/or promise to volunteer their time.

As of tonight, nearly 350 people have made contributions via ActBlue or pledged to give and hundreds more have pledged to volunteer their time and effort. The groundswell — from the Netroots, in no small part — is testimony to the power of Lawrence Lessig’s message.

Tomorrow: let’s pass the other candidates in total amount raised on ActBlue (we’re way ahead in terms of total number of contributions already, after basically a day).

We are more than on track to make the DRAFT LESSIG Challenge. Keep up the constant efforts. Each original DRAFT LESSIG supporter: get 10 more people to contribute on ActBlue and sign up for the doubled-down, 1000 Strong to Draft Lessig in Facebook (the original DRAFT LESSIG group is great, and still growing, at about 3,500) to show that this race matters to you, to the people of the 12th cd in California, to America.