MADISON, Wis. -- A campaign reform proposal for full public financing for races for governor or the state Supreme Court is seeing new life in the state Legislature.

Its backers said on Monday that they expect the measure to find more support this year given three recent expensive elections.

The legislation introduced on Monday calls for the creation of a "Clean Elections Fund." To qualify for the fund, candidates would need to collect a certain number of $5 donations, WISC-TV reported.

State Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, said that the Legislature showed an openness to reform when it passed an ethics reform measure in January. He also said that the bill he is bringing stands a better chance since Democrats now control the state Senate.

However, Republicans remain in control in the Assembly, and none were at a news conference on Monday announcing the bill. Pocan said that he hopes to bring in Republican support for the measure.

Mike McCabe, executive director of the nonpartisan Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, said that the bill's cost increase to taxpayers would be minimal and would level the playing field in politics. He said that it would open the door to new candidates with new ideas.

"What we are suggesting here is that we can do a heck of a lot better," he said. "We can restore clean government. We can restore real democracy. And we can do it for a couple of Happy Meals per voter each year. "

McCabe said that the time is right for a change.

"We have seen what we get when we do democracy the way the lobbyists and their special interests want it done," he said. "We've seen what we get when we have donor-owned elections. It is high time we have voter-owned elections. "

A similar bill was introduced two years ago but didn't pass.

The current bill is patterned after laws already on the books in Maine and Arizona, WISC-TV reported.