Senator McConnell would have the American people believe that his opposition to campaign finance reform is based simply on an innocent defense of the First Amendment. It should therefore come as no surprise that Senator McConnell is fighting tooth and nail against the McCain-Feingold bill which would stop these huge amounts of corrupting soft money from flowing into the political system. The NRSC's fundraising under the leadership of Senator McConnell clearly illustrates the increasing use of soft money in Congress to influence federal elections, according to Common Cause. While soft money legally cannot be used to affect federal elections, the NRSC's mandate is to help elect federal candidates to Congress. Totals for each committee include proceeds from the Republican Senate-House Dinner Committee and the Democratic Congressional Dinner Committee which divide their contributions between the respective congressional party committees.
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.