John Kjellman muses over the benefits of a Clean Elections public financing option in this piece for the Boston Globe, part of the Primary Voices section on voter's thoughts on the primary elections. He notes the growing attention to and popularity of the programs -- noting Maine and Arizona in particular -- but thinks it'd be better to do away with any private financing option.With the precedent Buckley v. Valeo set in terms of prohibiting private contributions it's highly unlikely any mandatory public financing program will ever pass. However the increasing rates of participation in the states where Clean Elections is an option show growing trust among incumbents and challengers that being a Clean Elections candidate doesn't hurt one's chances to compete.