I have yet to read an election filing form that's clear, concise and easy to digest. Maybe that's on purpose, and maybe it's because the people that election disclosure laws are supposed to watch are the ones who wrote the laws. Contributions are limited to a certain amount and expenditures generally must be for campaign purposes. There is no shortage of experts to help you make sense of the piles of paper you will no doubt face when covering campaigns. I find stories always benefit from making some basic assumptions.
Money means everything in politics.
You can't do anything without it, from printing your name on signs to calling the news media, even paying for gas in the vans that drive senior citizens to the polls. Many politicians are willing to do almost anything to keep the money coming in, especially in a tight race. Good stories and story ideas can be found simply by calling up donors and verifying that they made the contribution. Almost no one parts with their money on a whim. People give to candidates for any number of reasons-to get in good with the campaign, to grab the attention of the busy candidate, to return favors.