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Where are some specific places to look for these?
Baird: For court records, go to CourtListener. It is a free legal search engine, and it will give you a snapshot [of court records ] across the nation of roughly 4,000 counties — plus it gives you access to PACER documents, which are federal court cases. Always run your candidates’ names there and their staff, the campaign manager, the treasurer. …
For campaign finance information, go to this Federal Elections Commission site and when you find the candidate, see who else gives money from the same address; go to OpenSecrets, a database which can be kind of a tip sheet [on campaign finance money]; for social media, check Facebook and Instagram, but also LinkedIn, Rumble, Truth Social, Newsmax, and Reddit…
A lot of times, reporters don’t think to run the candidate’s name through Reddit. Sometimes people who know a candidate, like their old roommate, will go on there and talk about the candidate — and that person could be a source.
Read on for more public records tips from Baird.
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