JEB AND MARCO CAN ATTEST TO THIS: Money Can’t Buy Love — or in Some Cases, Even Elections.

On the surface, the 2016 presidential election looks like an important milestone for those who want to limit the influence of money in politics. After all, populists from opposite ends of the political spectrum, Sen. Bernie Sanders and billionaire Donald Trump, have made campaign finance a major focus. Both argue that their competitors have been bought and paid for, and are looking out for their big-dollar donors instead of the average middle-class Jane.

But to conservative campaign finance reformers, this presidential election is proving something different: money in campaigns is overrated.

If money made that much difference in this campaign cycle, they argue, then former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s $100-million war machine would have overcome a candidate like Trump, who’s barely raised any cash.

Seems awfully plausible.