Happy Valentine's Day. Here's a highly sophisticated artistic rendering of Jim Inhofe's "Valentine Lunch" fundraiser today.

HuffPost on SOTU: "This was actually the first of Obama's State of the Union addresses where the president did not mention any steps that reformers have championed to reduce the influence of big money or lobbyists in the political system."

Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
HuffPost: On State of the Union voting commission proposal, state lawmakers divide along party lines
"State lawmakers' reactions to President Barack Obama's announcement Tuesday night of a new bipartisan voting commission split along party lines." Rick Hasen has a list of reactions. Dave Weigel.

FP: Hagel will need 60 votes to get confirmed as defense secretary
The new rules of the Senate, per John Cornyn: "There is a 60-vote threshold for every nomination." (Hagel will be the first defense secretary in history to be filibustered).

Roll Call: Watchdogs square off with lawyers over ethics rules
"A coalition of government watchdog organizations is at odds with a bipartisan group of attorneys over rules published by an independent ethics office related to cases of congressional misconduct."

Congress/Administration
Boston Globe: Lynch, Markey sign pledge to limit third party ads
"Lynch and Markey have signed a 'People's Pledge' to keep outside money awau from their Democratic Primary like Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren for their Democratic primary."

CPI: Helium balloon maker shows lobbyists love
"A company that sells a popular Valentine's Day decoration — the helium balloon — is floating a pair of new advocates toward Capitol Hill.

Politico: Iraq to hire DC lobbyist
"The government of Iraq is in the final stages of inking a contract with the Podesta Group as its first Washington lobbying firm, POLITICO has learned."

HuffPost: DOMA gives gay politicians 'Free Pass' on ethics, says watchdog
Interesting: "In an amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court ahead of a March hearing on the constitutionality of DOMA, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington pointed out that same-sex couples are excused from aspects of the Ethics in Government Act, which applies only to opposite-sex couples since DOMA forbids the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages."

ProPublica: Big corporations put up seed funding for Republican dark money group
New documents on State Government Leadership Foundation: "A records request by ProPublica to the IRS turned up a list of the original funders of the group: Exxon, Pfizer, Time Warner, and other corporations put up at least 85 percent of the $1.3 million the foundation raised in the first year and a half of its existence, starting in 2003."

CNN: Super PAC to focus on broadening GOP appeal
"A group of Republican veterans are forming a super PAC to fund a new effort to refocus the party's messaging and policy goals, in an attempt to broaden the GOP's appeal beyond its traditional demographic base."

NYT: Seeking growth, nurses' union links to teachers' union
"One of the nation’s largest nurses’ unions — the National Federation of Nurses — plans to announce on Thursday that it will affiliate with the far larger American Federation of Teachers."

LA Times: Duke Energy writes off $10 million loan for Democratic convention
"Duke Energy has already written off a $10-million line of credit the company guaranteed to help produce September’s Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., boosting the role of corporate funds in putting on the event."

TPM: Arizona dark money group hit with lawsuit over robocalls
"Americans for Responsible Leadership, the Arizona dark money group that tangled with California’s campaign finance watchdog agency last fall, has been slapped with a lawsuit in Colorado, where a woman claims she received robocalls from the group in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act."

Roll Call: NRCC raised $4.4 million in January
"The National Republican Congressional Committee raised $4.4 million in January."

Other/States
Post-Dispatch: Missouri House gives first round approval to voter ID legislation
"The Republican-controlled chamber gave first round approval to the voter ID bills – one proposing a constitutional amendment to establish the requirement and a separate bill setting up the framework for it – shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday." It was a pretty tense debate too.

AP: NH bill proposes requiring campaign spending disclosure by independent groups
"Senate Republican Leader Jeb Bradley is proposing changes to New Hampshire's election laws so voters will know who is paying for negative television campaign ads and material mailed to their homes."

AP: Ark. lawmakers weigh constitutional amendments
"A package of campaign finance and ethics rules is among proposed constitutional amendments that Arkansas lawmakers will consider referring to voters during this year's legislative session."

Capitol Journal: Legislature mulls changing official lobbying threshold
Kansas: "Individuals may be able to spend up to $500 per year lobbying legislators without registering, under a bill discussed Wednesday in the Senate Ethics, Elections and Local Government Committee."

Tampa Bay Times: To drive his agenda, Gov. Scott turns to lobbyists
"After winning election as an outsider in 2010, Gov. Rick Scott initially refused to invite lobbyists into his Capitol office (only their clients). But in his first two years as Florida's chief executive, Scott has steadily developed a closer relationship with the people whose connections, clients and money are virtually impossible to ignore in state politics." Miami Herald.