Ruth Marcus, a renowned Washington Post columnist, has this column, suggesting that Arizona’s public funding program, implemented in 1998, has had the effect of electing more conservatives to the legislature than would otherwise be the case.
The column does not say, but others have said, that the public funding program, which requires candidates to obtain $5 contributions from a specified number of donors, has helped candidates who are members of large churches. Social connections between church members make it more likely for candidates who are church members to find enough people willing to contribute the needed $5, and therefore easier for them to qualify for public funding. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.
220 $5 donations are not that hard to get if you have some modicum of public support. Green Party candidates do it every time they run for state office.
Perhaps prior to clean elections, candidates were more moderate because the moneyed interests wanted to protect the status quo. That’s possible. But even if I would prefer moderate representatives to right wingers, I always prefer candidates who have the support of people to those who can fund raise from the biggest corporations and special interests.