Can more parties fix the problem of big money in politics?

Big money dominates our politics in the United States. The capital of corporations and millionaires, derived from the surplus value of our labor, flows like a sludgy river to the campaign committees of Democrats and Republicans alike. This river of money in politics runs wide as it winds through Maryland.

The donations are anything but gifts — the wealthy expect, and receive , a return on these investments. Those returns are policies and budgets that harm working-class Marylanders, our treasured natural environment and our state’s democracy.

Could a more robust democracy formed by healthier electoral parties address the harm done by this deluge of dollars? Since Maryland governors wield nearly unrivaled structural power relative to other states, it is instructive to focus our attention