In this local investigative class, students will examine donations to Marylanders seeking election and re-election for statewide and national office. Students will try to assess the influence of this money on lawmakers' policy decisions and priorities. We will analyze data from the state's database of contributions and from federal records to find and report on new trends and to write in-depth stories on the lobbyists, big donors and other characters of interest. No data background required, only a willingness to periodically travel to Annapolis and around the state to conduct interviews.