Campaign contributions that are not donated directly to candidates, but are instead donated to parties.

• A. Hard money
• B. Dark money
• C. Gray money
• D. Soft money

Answer: (D)

In campaign finance, soft money refers to funds given to political parties rather than to individual candidates, intended for broad party-building activities like voter registration drives or general party advertising rather than for supporting a specific candidate. This is why it’s the best fit for the description: the money goes to the party as a whole and isn’t donated directly to a candidate.

Hard money, by contrast, goes straight to candidates and is subject to contribution limits. Dark money describes spending by groups that often don’t disclose donors, not money sent to parties. Gray money isn’t a standard term used in this context.