More coverage from yesterday's event announcing the signers of the Philadelphia Fair and Clean Elections pledge. This article in the Philadelphia Inquirer notes mayoral candidate Tom Knox's failure to sign, though his major opponent in the Democratic primary, Michael Nutter, has signed. We've got more on the pledge (29 signers so far!), and pictures from the event here.

Trent Lange of the California Clean Money Action Fund writes at California Progress Report about the resurgence of AB 583, the California Clean Elections bill sponsored by Assemblymember Loni Hancock which has passed through the Assembly Elections Committee and will now to the Appropriations Committee.

Though it doesn't mention the Fair Elections Act by name, this Orlando Sentinel editorial is strongly in favor of a public financing system for congressional elections in the model of Arizona and Maine's Clean Elections programs, arguing that those states offer a much better example than Florida when it comes to reducing the influence of special interest money.

Yesterday activists rallied at the Iowa capitol building in support of the Voter Owned Iowa Clean Elections (VOICE) Act to bring public financing to Iowa's statewide and legislative elections. When a group of the activists spied State Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal (D) and went over to talk to him about VOICE, things got a little heated...

Support for full public financing of elections comes from quite different parts of the blogosphere today: first, Armstrong Williams writing on Townhall argues "Clean campaigns will reduce the power of elites by ending the new arms race for money, and bring back the soul of democracy by increasing the power of the people." Byron Williams, in his piece on Huffington Post,<

Iowa is facing important legislative decisions on regulating factory farms, and creating a full public financing option for statewide and legislative elections -- this letter to the editor by Ron Kielkopf in the Ottumwa Courier explains the natural link between the two issues, pointing out the influence factory farms are able to yield through campaign contributions.

Speaking of Iowa, Barb Kalbach of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement has this op-ed in the Des Moines Register today on the Voter Owned Iowa Clean Elections (VOICE) Act that could shortly bring full public financing to Iowa statewide and legislative races. Calling out the huge amounts of cash legislators must raise to stay in office (and wield power), Kalbach argues for a better way.

The fight for Clean Elections in Iowa is in full swing with about two weeks to go in this legislative session. What follows is an interview with Adam Mason of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. He is one the lead organizers of this campaign. Adam gives us insight to the many aspects of the campaign and tells us why Clean Elections is so important for Iowa.

The New Mexico legislature went into a special session to deal with a number of pending bills; one of the two that emerged from it was a bill to expand the state's public financing program - currently in place for the Public Regulation Commission - to judicial races. Governor Bill Richardson supports the idea, but wants to veto a portion of the bill that would require a ballot initiative amending the state constitution to eliminate retention elections.

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has announced her support for public financing of federal elections on the same day she broke records for first quarter fundraising the presidential race, taking in $26 million. Although she opted out of public financing for her White House bid, she does believe it's the ultimate reform to pursue.