It’s a given that a successful politician has to be able to build a hefty war chest. But beyond the campaign, how are candidates able to make use of those funds? Under what circumstances can they be used for non campaign-related activities? Say for example, to pay for one’s legal defense, as in the case of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his corruption trial.

Who tracks all this? And what kinds of reforms are in place to regulate the allocation of donor dollars once a candidate is in – or out – of office? To help us break down the nitty gritty of campaign dollars is Kent Redfield, a political scientist at the University of Illinois at Springfield’s Institute for Legal, Legislative and Policy Studies.