Would getting a letter of recommendation from my current mayor or chairman of the my states branch of the democratic party increase my chances?
It wouldn’t hurt (at least the mayor one, you don’t want to get too politic-y)
If it is a generic rec letter, then it will in fact hurt your chances.
If it adds a new dimension to your application, says something about you that the rest of the app doesn’t necessarily reflect, then if it will help you.
If you want to use the influence of the mayor or the chairman to gain admissions to a university, have him or her makes some phone calls to the admissions department of the school. Just getting a rec letter from a powerful figure won’t help you.
My guidance counselor in high school used to work in a college. He always told me not to pad my application because adcoms don’t want to waste their time reading unneccesary material. If you interned for those politicians, it might be worth adding an extra letter, but if you’re just using “connections,” don’t bother.
My son worked for a state senator in a paid position in the field he is planning to pursue in college and still was iffy on whether or not to even use the rec which was well written and specific about the tasks he worked on. So no I would definitely not bother to get a rec from a politician who you don’t have a specific relationship with.
I actually do have a relationship with him i used to be an intern