According to Common Cause, the national party committees are on pace to break all soft money fundraising records for an election cycle. The FEC commissioners rejected the staff recommendations. Unless Congress acts in the coming weeks to ban soft money, our democracy will once again be sold to the highest bidder. Both the House and Senate leaderships have committed to bring up campaign finance reform legislation this fall. The centerpiece of both bills is a ban on soft money.
Hard money means contributions that are legal under federal law for federal elections.
Soft money means contributions made outside the limits and prohibitions of federal law, including large individual or PAC contributions and direct corporate or union contributions. Totals do not include transfers between party committees, bank loans or interest, offsets to operating expenditures, or other business-related receipts.