Democratic Congressmen John Yarmuth, John Sarbanes, and David Price each introduced public financing legislation last night. Congressman John Larson, chair of the Caucus' DARE Task Force on campaign finance and electoral reform issues, will work with the members to develop a bill that combines the best parts of all three. Yarmuth is taking over for Larson on the Fair Elections Now Act, legislation Public Campaign has endorsed since its House introduction in 2009.

Fair Elections was introduced with 52 cosponsors, the most original co-sponsors to date. The more recently-developed Grassroots Democracy Act (Sarbanes) and Empowering Citizens Act (Price) have 33 and 12 cosponsors, respectively. The three will issue a joint statement today about the effort. We'll have more tomorrow. Let me know if you have any questions!

Interesting analysis from CPI: "Spending records released by the Federal Election Commission show that throughout the 2012 election, corporations, unions and individuals that could take advantage of the high court’s ruling were responsible for about $933 million of the estimated $6 billion spent during the contest. "

Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
Roll Call: Merkley wants Reid to push further on filibuster overhaul
"One of the Senate’s leading filibuster reformers wants Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to go further after hearing of a rules change proposal the Nevada Democrat floated in a TV interview."

AP: Delaware groups target corporate campaign spending
On fighting Citizens United in Delaware.

In These Times: Rigging Democracy
Fair Vote's Rob Richie has the cover in the latest In These Times: "Why the people won’t pick the next president or Congress—unless we act now."

Press Herald: Budget bill worries Maine Clean Elections advocates
LePage is at it again in Maine: "Supporters of Maine's law allowing public financing of elections are worried by a portion of Gov. Paul LePage's proposed budget, which they say would deprive legislative and gubernatorial candidates of funds for their 2014 campaigns."

Congress/Administration
Politico: NRA unleashes lobbyists
LOBBYISTS UNLEASHED! "The NRA kept its dozen in-house lobbyists on lockdown in the first month after the Newtown massacre, but no more. The group is moving back onto Capitol Hill in force, not shying away from its take-no-prisoners message: no new gun laws." Roll Call, TPM. And Sunlight reports on the how the group fights campaign finance legislation and transparency.

MoJo: Mitch McConnell vs. the world
Andy Kroll profile on McConnell: "The 2014 campaign is 22 months away. But liberals and tea partiers are already plotting the ouster of America's most influential Republican." PCAF's David Donnelly: "We're really thinking about how do we make him a less effective leader on the issue of money in politics."

NYT: For "party of business," allegiances are shifting
"In a shift over a half-century, the party base has been transplanted from the industrial Northeast and urban centers to become rooted in the South and West, in towns and rural areas. In turn, Republicans are electing more populist, antitax and antigovernment conservatives who are less supportive — and even suspicious — of appeals from big business."

LA Times: Paying for Obama's Party
Op-ed from CRP's Sheila Krumholz on President Obama moving backwards on transparency with this year's Inauguration funding. "Obama's policy in 2009 bested those of all recent occupants of the Oval Office and went way beyond the law's requirements. It appeared he'd set a new precedent for higher standards in transparency. That makes the backsliding this year especially disheartening. In fact, by comparison, this year's process feels like a snub."

Politico: Harry Reid's Indian gaming bill has echoes
Politico writes how a Harry Reid bill to allow Texas casinos looked like a bill Abramoff tried to get Bob Ney to push, but then notes helpfully, "Reid’s motives are far different than what drove Abramoff and Ney."

Politico: API campaign touts XL pipeline, natural gas exports
"The American Petroleum Institute has launched a new media campaign to build support for the Keystone XL pipeline, eliminate renewable fuels mandates and allow natural gas exports." It'll be interesting to see if they're doling out PAC money already too.

Boston Globe: Kerry's investments scrutinized
"Senator John F. Kerry and his wife hold an array of international investments that could pose conflicts of interest for him as secretary of state, and an ethics review is already underway to determine whether he needs to divest holdings, put them in a blind trust, or recuse himself from some discussions, according to Obama administration officials."

Other/States
HuffPost: Ken Cucinelli received $50,000 Koch Brother contribution
Kooch Katches Koch Kash: Virginia AG and gubernatorial candidate is raising big bucks, including $50,000 from a Koch subsidiary.

NYT: Cuomo raises $22.5 million for re-election bid
"Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s campaign reported nearly $22.5 million in the bank on Tuesday, a formidable war chest that could scare off potential rivals when he seeks re-election next year." Times-Union.

Miami Herald: Support mounts to allow unlimited political contributions in Florida
"Florida’s campaign finance system is so riddled with holes that a state ethics watchdog group will urge lawmakers Wednesday to open the spigot and let an unlimited amount of campaign cash gush into campaign coffers." (This is not a Common Cause-type group, I imagine!)

CAP: Million dollar judges of 2012
CAP looks at the "million dollar judges" of 2012 and provides this data point: " A record $29.7 million was spent on ads in state supreme court elections, and more than half of this money came in the form of independent spending, according to Justice at Stake and the Brennan Center for Justice, two groups that track spending in judicial races."

Dallas Morning News: GOP leaders’ plans may force Rick Perry to defend Texas business incentives
Texas lawmakers are pushing to end a fund Rick Perry has used to dole out money to donors and friends.