Wisconsin Senate President Fred Risser and state Rep. Mark Pocan introduced legislation yesterday to provide full public financing for statewide candidates, modeled on the successful systems in Arizona and Maine. Read coverage of the event at The Badger Herald, and pick up more commentary on the bill from the legislators' joint press release. Both legislators expressed a desire to return to campaigns centered on ideas, and legislation designed to respond to the needs of constituents. Sen. Risser, “Campaigns have become more about big money rather than big ideas. It’s time for Wisconsin to promote campaign reform and restore its progressive tradition. We need to create an election environment where candidates can spend their time expressing their ideas in the political process instead of having to spend the major part of their campaigns raising money.”  Pocan meanwhile emphasized the major change the bill would represent: “This is the most sweeping campaign finance reform Wisconsin has ever seen and I am grateful that so many grassroots groups have stepped forward to help clean up our government. [. . .] Campaigns should be about the candidates and the voters, not the special interest groups buying elections with their expensive negative attack ads.”