One of the first candidates to run with Connecticut's new Clean Elections public financing program has qualified for her funding -- and she's an incumbent, which is a good sign of the program's appeal. We saw polling earlier this year that indicated participation would be high among officeholders, so we expect lots of incumbents and challengers to follow in State Rep. Linda Schofield's (D) footsteps.She points out the big plus of Clean Elections: from now until election day she's done with fundraising and free to spend all her time talking with constituents:"I organized my base of supporters early, allowing me to complete the qualifications for Connecticut's new public financing program and establish myself as a strong candidate for re-election," she said. "By engaging in most of my fundraising activity during the off-season, I have been free to immerse myself in the 2008 session without the looming distraction of campaign fundraising. Furthermore, once the session is over I can commence my actual campaign without having to first collect the required donations."