RALEIGH, N.C.  – North Carolina’s new state treasurer wants future elections to be free of suspicion that campaign donations bought big-money contracts to manage state pension funds.

Janet Cowell said Thursday she supports a bill in the General Assembly that would add her post to the statewide offices that could receive taxpayer campaign funds. Voluntary public financing already is available to candidates for appellate judge, insurance commissioner, schools superintendent and state auditor.

State offices such as treasurer and labor commissioner are out of the public eye at election time, but draw intense interest from businesses the state officials would regulate. Investment firms that manage the state’s public pension system were big contributors to the treasurer’s race.