New Mexico's House of Representatives has approved a bill that would expand the state's public financing program to candidates for statewide offices and judgeships. The bill is part of a series of ethics and campaign finance reforms that grew out of a task force appointed by Governor Bill Richardson (D). The bill now moves to the Senate.  Candidates for New Mexico's Public Regulation Commission are already able to run with full public financing and supporters are excited by the potential for an expanded full public financing program to increase the diversity of candidates for state office and elevate the power of voters over big money. Rep. Jeff Steinborn (D) summed up the importance of passing the law: "If we don't bring more people into this, what we end up with is a system of the corporations, by the corporations and for the corporations."