I'm not sure the amount they donate matters as much as the good press they donate. This is extremely valuable. Consider the case of the bribes paid by the Per

I'm not sure the amount they donate matters as much as the good press they donate. This is extremely valuable. Consider the case of the bribes paid by the Peruvian government to media versus that paid to judges and politicians. While the latter two got tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, a TV channel owners got $5 million. That acts as a proxy for their power. What is the parallel? They act out during election season because they are in the middle of handing their most valuable asset out--their coverage. That is the true lobbying asset. Based on what you said I suppose they want to get what they want before the election happens and the horse is let out of the barn.