Some regard unequal access as a big problem. Politicians are more likely to be influenced by those who they listen to, not by those with whom they have no direct contact. Others are not so concerned and believe that there are so many opposing groups making their cases that no one is likely to dominate. The answer to this question depends on who you ask. Journalists and scholars disagree about the magnitude of the impact of campaign contributions on votes.
Journalists tend to make vote buying seem commonplace.
They find anecdotal cases where a campaign contribution appears to have influenced a politician's vote. Academics on the other hand take a more systematic approach. They look not for anecdotes, but valid generalizations. Even if we find irrefutable evidence that one person's vote is bought, we may not be able to generalize to politicians as a whole. Using this more systematic approach, academics tend to find less evidence for vote buying.