This material is copyrighted and may not be republished without permission of the originating newspaper or wire service. PioneerPlanet is a service of the Pioneer Press . But campaign finance is not simple arithmetic.
Money is a powerful catalyst in politics, and contributors and candidates know it.
It buys mass advertising that can build up a candidate or tear down an opponent. It scares off competition. And it can create conflicts that eventually distort or corrupt the making of laws. In the last election, dollars poured into campaigns like never before. For the Democrats, the cash high has worn off.