soft money

American  

noun

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

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soft money British  

noun

1. 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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Example Sentences

"The recent, unprecedented rise of 'soft money' in federal elections undermines the crucial campaign finance laws that exist to uphold transparency, combat corruption, and safeguard the electoral process."

From Salon

Others have invested pots of “soft money” — long-term loans with exceptionally low interest rates.

From New York Times

“By injecting this ‘soft money’ into a federal election, Trump violated the law, and the FEC must act,” said Trevor Potter, the president of the Campaign Legal Center.

From Seattle Times

Specifically, CLC's complaint argues that the move violates Federal Election Campaign Act provisions barring candidates and officeholders from spending unregulated "soft money" on federal elections.

From Salon

Last month, the FEC declined to hold Trump accountable for "soft money" violations to which his campaign had already admitted, according to the AP.

From Salon