With regard to local, state, and national elections, to what degree does money buy influence and give you a leg up over your competitors who either didn’t contribute to the campaign or maybe even worse, backed the wrong candidate?Obviously, if you donate to an election, you have to contribute a substantial amount if you hope to gain favor. There are, too, many elected officials who will claim that no matter how much money you donate to their campaign, you will be treated no differently than the average (personal pronoun) on the street.An even bigger question that can never be answered: