The congressional campaign of TV executive Margarita Wilkinson in California’s 49th District, despite being a political novice and never having held elected office, is a case study in what major political parties are looking for, above all else, in a hyper-politicized 2024 campaign season, experts say: Wealth and a blank political slate.

With its new elections project, MuckRock is providing training and support for journalists and the public to explore political races and candidates.

With competitive Congressional races across the country and state and local candidates fighting to keep or take elected office, there are endless stories that can be reported out to help the public make informed decisions when heading to the polls.

A federal lawsuit filed in November against the Department of Defense and Air Force claims the military’s vaccine mandate violated both the First Amendment and religious freedoms. The sitting congresswoman and her husband seek an unspecified amount in damages.

For this week’s FOIA round-up, a Chicago, Illinois psychiatric hospital faces federal defunding due to allegations of child abuse, the feds investigate mismanagement of Louisville Metro Police overtime funds in Kentucky, and students look into political campaign donations by State University of New York at Buffalo employees.