soft money

noun

money contributed to a political candidate or party that is not subject to federal regulations.

soft money

politics (in the US) money that can be spent by a political party on grass-roots organization, recruitment, advertising, etc; it must be deposited in a party's non-federal (state-level) bank accounts, and must not be used in connection with presidential or congressional elections Compare hard money

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Soft money—unlimited contributions to party committees made in support of fuzzy “issue advocacy” rather than campaigns—ruled.

Brown estimated that his group poured close to half a million dollars into the three races in hard and soft money.

Goldman has also jumped on the super-PAC bandwagon, with 20 percent of its donations going to “soft money,” or outside groups.

The largest chunk of change was the “soft money” donations Stanford made to groups like the DNCC and RNC.

Colonel Jimmy heard Small make that fool bet on the eighteenth tee, and you know what a leech he is when soft money is in sight.

"By that time I'll have enough soft money in front of me to ease my fall," announced Wallingford confidently.

Then I think it will be beaten, if by soft money it means the payment of one promise with another.

Let's be clear; a vote against McCain-Feingold is a vote for soft money and for the status quo.

Observe the war within the lad as between innate decency and, in a sense, laudable desire for the limelight and soft money.

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