Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer of Washington had a decade of state elective office under his belt when he arrived in Congress in 2013, so he knew real change can take time.
He just didn’t foresee something as seemingly sensible as campaign finance reform and a muscling up of the moribund Federal Elections Commission taking a decade — with no end in sight.
Each year Kilmer teamed up with willing Republican partners he’d gotten to know at bipartisan breakfasts designed to create common ground, trying for modest reforms that could make a difference.
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