"Sen. Obama is pleased the FEC took this important step in preserving the public financing system," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said. "If Sen. Obama is the nominee, he will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election."
The decision also was greeted favorably by Sen. John McCain's campaign.
"The McCain campaign will now begin the process of accepting these general election funds, following the new FEC guidelines," said Terry Nelson, campaign manager for the Arizona Republican. "Should John McCain win the Republican nomination, we will agree to accept public financing in the general election if the Democratic nominee agrees to do the same."
Clinton's campaign is considering a change in its position after the FEC ruling, spokesman Phil Singer said. The Edwards campaign didn't have an immediate comment.
Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former Republican mayor of New York, hasn't made a decision on federal financing yet, though he is raising money for the general campaign, said spokeswoman Maria Comella. Kevin Madden, a spokesman for Republican former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, said his focus "remains on the primary" though the ruling "expands the universe of available financing options."
Taxpayers contribute to the public finance system by selecting whether to direct $3 of their tax liability to the presidential fund in their tax returns. Legislation pending in Congress seeks to retain the public financing system by increasing the amount taxpayers can set aside and by removing spending restrictions for primary candidates who accept the public money.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
