Definition

1. Noun:
   • Political contributions made in such a way as to avoid the United States regulations for federal election campaigns (as by contributions to a political action committee): "Soft money" refers to funds raised and spent by political parties for activities intended to influence elections, but which are not directly contributed to a specific candidate's campaign, thereby circumventing federal limits and disclosure rules.

Usage

• Noun:
  • The term "soft money" is primarily used in the context of U.S. campaign finance law and political discourse. It describes money used for "party-building" activities like voter registration drives and issue advertisements, which are not subject to the same strict federal regulations as direct contributions to candidates ("hard money").

Examples

• Noun:
  • The national party committees raised millions in soft money for issue advocacy.
  • Reformers argued that the flood of soft money corrupted the political process.
  • The law sought to ban the use of soft money in federal elections.

Advanced Usage

• "Soft money" vs. "Hard money": In U.S. campaign finance, "hard money" refers to contributions made directly to a candidate's campaign, which are strictly regulated by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). "Soft money" refers to unregulated funds given to political parties for general purposes.
  • While hard money donations are capped, soft money was once a loophole for unlimited contributions.

Variants and Related Words

• Hard money (n): Regulated contributions made directly to a candidate's campaign committee or a political party for the purpose of influencing a federal election.
• Political Action Committee (PAC) (n): An organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation. "Soft money" was often channeled through PACs.
• Issue advocacy (n): Political advertising focused on raising awareness about a particular issue, which historically could be funded with "soft money" without explicitly urging a vote for or against a candidate.

Synonyms

• Unregulated contributions: Funds not subject to federal campaign finance limits (prior to specific reforms).
• Party-building funds: Money used by political parties for activities other than direct candidate support.

Related Phrases

• To raise soft money: The act of soliciting and collecting these types of political funds.
  • The event was designed to raise soft money for the party's national committee.
• Soft money ban: Refers to legislative efforts, such as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold Act), which prohibited national political parties from raising or spending soft money.
  • The soft money ban significantly changed how political campaigns were funded.

Noun

1. political contributions made in such a way as to avoid the United States regulations for federal election campaigns (as by contributions to a political action committee)