The Republicans have spent about $5 million on such issue advertising.

Even some Republicans say issue advertising is clearly legal if the political parties pay for it.

The commission has also lost some court battles in trying to restrict issue advertising.

This year, both parties used soft money to pay for issue advertising in the Congressional elections.

Issue advertising does not come under Federal regulations unless it specifically says to vote for or against a candidate.

The effort has produced a flood of so-called issue advertising that is being broadcast here.

The most controversial use of soft money has been in "issue advertising" financed by the national political parties.

Republican leaders also oppose efforts to regulate issue advertising, another component of the proposal.

Both parties used soft money for so-called issue advertising to promote their presidential candidates.

A party's "soft money," the large contributions that fall outside Federal election law limits, can be used to finance issue advertising.

It would also place restrictions on issue advertising by unions and corporations in periods close to an election.

Federal election rules require that the parties pay for "issue advertising" with a complicated mixture of hard and soft money.

Such money can be used for political purposes only in get-out-the-vote drives, issue advertising and so forth.

The opponents of the law see the ban on issue advertising as unquestionably unconstitutional.

Two prominent public relations executives have joined forces to create an agency devoted to advocacy and issue advertising.

The commercials are part of a rapid expansion in the use of so-called issue advertising.

The campaign finance laws are vague about what it takes for issue advertising to step over the line into run-of-the-mill political appeals.

The amendment would extend the bill's restrictions on issue advertising by unions and corporations to all outside interest groups in the period just before elections.

President Bush signed the law despite "reservations about the constitutionality of the broad ban on issue advertising."

So far, the parties have built their issue advertising around Congressional debates over taxes and programs like Medicare.

The measure would also rein in some issue advertising by outside groups in the periods just before elections.

Such coordination violates the law's restrictions on a candidate's control of such issue advertising.

The dueling campaigns are indicative of the growing presence of issues advertising.

The impact of the spots was enlarged by the fact that issue advertising is rarely found during so-called big TV events.

The money will go to issue advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts between now and the Nov. 7 election.