Americans vote for a specific candidate instead of directly selecting a particular political party.

Soft money is supposed to be used for party activities, not specific candidates.

Have a specific candidate you badly want to hear from?

The money cannot be used in the campaigns of specific candidates.

Houses of worship may still support political causes, but not specific candidates.

But they are often used by the party for voter drives and other efforts that help specific candidates.

Thus, voters select the party of their choice, rather than any specific candidate.

What that means in terms of any specific candidate is yet unclear.

It was not clear whether the bankers had a specific candidate in mind.

Audience members will address their question to a specific candidate.