The French legislation on political funding is 20 years old. But the laws passed in 1988 were not sui generis: about 30 previous bills addressing the issue were introduced between 1970 and 1988. To date, however, there has been no serious treatment of the proto-history behind the 1988 legislation. This article explores the genesis of that codification, showing how the issue of French political funding gave rise to movements that would eventually define the symbolic boundaries. Finally, studying these attempts at regulation sheds some new light on the practical nexus between politicians and money and on recent changes in politics.