Working part time on this effort, he created the database, spotted this money-moving trend from the National Institute data, and completed the interviews for the piece in about two weeks.
“I think this story explained a system that few people understood,” Kelley wrote via email. “[H]opefully it connected some dots for voters.
“The political parties draw ‘safe’ districts, so they don’t need to raise much money there to hold the seat, but then they raise the money anyway and funnel it to other areas where it can sway a tight election. Beagle’s election is the perfect example.”
Stayed tuned. Kelley said he intends to expand his Ohio campaign finance database to sniff out more stories.
