Soft Money and Campaign Finance Reform

Soft money is defined as money in federal elections that would otherwise be illegal, such as direct corporate or union contributions or contributions in excess of legal limits. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) has now prohibited the national parties from soliciting or spending soft money. But the Federal Election Commission (FEC) has significantly watered down that prohibition with a round of hostile regulations. To learn more, see the documents located in "In the Spotlight."