Individual contributions

A direct monetary contribution transfers funds to a candidate, party, or political committee that controls their use. Federal law limits many direct contributions, prohibits some sources, and requires records and reports. Dollar limits are indexed or changed over time, so the durable distinction begins with the path and control of the money. When a voter gives a candidate committee $200, the committee can use those funds for lawful campaign purposes. When the voter independently buys $200 of advertising without coordinating, the voter retains operational control and the transaction belongs to a different category.

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Political action committees

A direct monetary contribution transfers funds to a candidate, party, or political committee that controls their use. Federal law limits many direct contributions, prohibits some sources, and requires records and reports. Dollar limits are indexed or changed over time, so the durable distinction begins with the path and control of the money. When a voter gives a candidate committee $200, the committee can use those funds for lawful campaign purposes. When the voter independently buys $200 of advertising without coordinating, the voter retains operational control and the transaction belongs to a different category.

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Super PACs

An independent expenditure pays for a communication that expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified federal candidate and is not made in consultation or cooperation with, or at the request or suggestion of, the candidate, campaign, or political party. The outside spender controls the message, timing, audience, and payment. Benefit to a candidate does not turn the communication into a contribution. An advertisement may criticize one candidate and thereby help another while remaining independent.

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Independent expenditures

An independent expenditure pays for a communication that expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified federal candidate and is not made in consultation or cooperation with, or at the request or suggestion of, the candidate, campaign, or political party. The outside spender controls the message, timing, audience, and payment. Benefit to a candidate does not turn the communication into a contribution. An advertisement may criticize one candidate and thereby help another while remaining independent.

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Dark money

Dark money is a political description for spending whose original funding sources are not publicly identified under the applicable reporting structure, often because a nonprofit organization pays for the communication. The immediate sponsor may be named while its general-purpose donors remain undisclosed. The phrase is not a single statutory category and does not mean cash, foreign money, illegal money, or every independent expenditure. It identifies a transparency gap at a particular donor layer.

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Hard and soft money

Dark money is a political description for spending whose original funding sources are not publicly identified under the applicable reporting structure, often because a nonprofit organization pays for the communication. The immediate sponsor may be named while its general-purpose donors remain undisclosed. The phrase is not a single statutory category and does not mean cash, foreign money, illegal money, or every independent expenditure. It identifies a transparency gap at a particular donor layer.

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Disclosure requirements

Federal law now bars national party committees from raising or spending nonfederal funds and regulates certain state-party activity connected to federal elections. The older label does not turn all modern outside spending into party soft money. A current analysis should identify the actor, account, recipient, and use rather than rely on the slogan.

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Public financing

Public financing offers government funds or publicly funded benefits to candidates who satisfy eligibility conditions. The federal presidential system includes matching funds for eligible primary candidates and a general-election grant for qualifying nominees. Participation is voluntary. Candidates who accept funds also accept requirements concerning qualified campaign expenses, records, audits, and spending limits. A well-financed candidate may decline when the private campaign expects to spend more than the public program permits.

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Campaign-finance regulation

Federal campaign-finance law regulates several different relationships. Contribution limits and source prohibitions govern value transferred to candidates and committees. Reporting and disclaimer rules provide information about receipts, spending, and sponsorship. Coordination rules determine when activity paid for by another person becomes contribution-like rather than independent. Public-financing statutes offer voluntary benefits with conditions. The Federal Election Commission administers and enforces the federal regime, while courts resolve statutory and constitutional disputes. State and local elections may use additional rules subject to federal constitutional limits.

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Constitutional issues involving political spending

The First Amendment protects political speech and association, but constitutional analysis does not treat every dollar in the same way. Start by classifying the transaction. A donor's transfer to a candidate gives the campaign control of the money. An independent expenditure pays for advocacy that remains under an outside speaker's control. Coordination can make outside spending contribution-like because the campaign participates in the decision.

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