House Dems Poised to Endorse Public Financing of Campaigns

House Democrats are poised to endorse an expansive system to publicly finance congressional campaigns, a forceful statement against the influence of wealthy donors in politics. The plan to funnel billions of dollars in public funds to candidates each election cycle is at the core of a sweeping ethics and elections bill, H.R. 1, that Democrats plan to pass Friday…. Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), the lead author of H.R. 1, traveled to states and cities that have implemented public financing systems and said he found bipartisan support. The American public wants “bold moves now,” he said. “They don’t want to just kind of nibble around the edges anymore. They want in.”