Washington, D.C.—Public Campaign, the nation’s leading organizing center for full public financing of elections, also known as Clean Money/Clean Elections, today reported that a record number of participating candidates won election in Maine and Arizona. “These states are a shining model for comprehensive campaign reform for the rest of the nation,” said Nick Nyhart, Public Campaign’s executive director.

In Maine, a whopping 83% of the state senate (29 out of 35) and 77% of the house (116 out of 151) will be made up of legislators who ran “clean.” This is an increase from 2002, when 77% of the senate and 55% of the house was made up of legislators who participated in Clean Elections. Both major parties are heavily represented in this group: among Democrats, 15 incoming senators and 70 incoming house members ran “clean”; among Republicans, 14 incoming senators, and 42 incoming house members ran “clean.” (Eight house races and two senate races may be subject to recounts.)

In Arizona, a total of 46 candidates for the state legislature and corporation commission were elected running “clean.” All four of the winning candidates for corporation commission participated in Clean Elections. As a result, a total of ten of Arizona’s statewide elected officials, including its governor, attorney general and treasurer, will be serving free of dependence on private campaign contributors.

In addition, 58% percent of the members of the Arizona state house (35 of 60) and 23% of the state senate (7 of 30) ran “clean.” In both cases, this is an increase from 2002, when the house was 45% clean and the senate 17% clean.

Clean Elections winners in Arizona were both Republicans and Democrats. All four winning corporations commissioners are Republicans, as are three incoming senators and 21 incoming house members. Among Democrats, four incoming senators and 14 incoming house members ran “clean.”

In North Carolina’s top judicial races, for the first time ever candidates had the option of participating in a public financing program modeled on Clean Elections. Two seats on the seven-member Supreme Court and three seats on the 15-member Court of Appeals were up for election. Both Supreme Court races and two of the three Court of Appeals seats were won by candidates who ran with public financing. In all, 12 of the 16 candidates running for the five seats participated in the public financing program.

For more information, contact Rick Bielke at Public Campaign, 202-293-0222. In Maine, contact Doug Clopp, Maine Citizen Leadership Fund, 207-780-8657. In Arizona, contact Barbaru Lubin, Arizona Clean Elections Institute, 602-840-6633. In North Carolina, contact Bob Hall, Democracy North Carolina, 919-489-1931.