Our friends over at the Center for Responsive Politics have launched a new project on their Capital Eye website featuring up-close profiles of the money in key congressional races. So far they’re highlighting a total of eight contests in Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia and Georgia – with more to come in the weeks ahead.

CRP has long been known as the best source on the web for money-and-politics information, but it’s mainly relied on data-heavy profiles that delineate the trends with lists, tables and pie charts. These new profiles put the numbers in context by combining them with old-fashioned reporting on the races.

In fact that approach – adding narrative to the bare facts – is what CRP’s Capital Eye website is all about. While it’s much less visited than their flagship Open Secrets website, Capital Eye is definitely worth poking around in. A quick look at the site’s archives shows stories on everything from the Abramoff lobbying scandal to early fundraising for the 2008 presidential conventions.

In short, it’s a well-deserved bookmark if you want to keep as close an eye as possible on the influence of big money under the Capitol dome.