Wayne Goodwin, the Commissioner of Insurance in North Carolina, writes of how "Public Financing of Campaigns Protects Against Special Interests.""Because of this division, each Council of State officer is continuously and increasingly bombarded by special interests who want to influence these policy areas. The bombardment reaches fever pitch leading up to elections, when special interests ratchet up their pitch with campaign contributions or promises of contributions to candidates."...In 2007, legislators enacted a law that's a first step toward solving this problem. The Voter-Owned Elections program created a voluntary public financing option for three Council of State offices (auditor, insurance commissioner and superintendent of public instruction). Lawmakers, current and former Council of State leaders, and thousands of North Carolinians believe it to be a good idea because it gives candidates a chance to forego the dreadful money chase in exchange for limited public funds to run their campaigns."In 2008, Goodwin ran as a Clean Elections candidate and won.