The money raised is private. The voting machines are privately owned. The system naturally favors the wealthy. They have a competitive advantage as far as raising cash goes. It would take several dozen working class stiffs donating cash to equal the buying power of the average multimillionaire.

Few Europeans would put up with that kind of bullshit. Many of their constitutions have mandated publicly funded elections since the end of World War 2. The last time government was allowed to so closely align with major business interests, they called it fascism. We call it corporatism today.