Nancy Watzman, our Colorado-based research and investigative projects director, has this piece in The Denver Post on the potential to make real progress in passing Clean Elections-style full public financing for congressional elections - something she'd like to hear more about from Colorado's represenatatives in Congress.

Reviewing the fundraising numbers from the 2006 elections, and citing in particular those Colorado politicians whose careers have been effected by money and politics scandals, Nancy lays out the solutions presented by a Clean Elections option. She also calls on Colorado lawmakers to step up and work to clean up Congress:

There is a strong and growing force in Congress for full public financing of elections: 108 members of the 110th Congress have either already signed the Voters First Pledge in support of full public financing of elections along with major lobbying reforms or have been co-sponsors of legislation to enact clean elections campaign reform. Unfortunately, none of them hail from Colorado.

In the new Congress, lawmakers in the House and the Senate are expected to introduce clean elections legislation. Colorado's delegation to Washington should move swiftly to join other sponsors to support these efforts. Meanwhile, it is high time our legislators in our state Capitol join our neighbors in Arizona and other states and bring clean elections to Colorado state races as well.