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dark horse
(redirected from Dark horse candidate)

   Also found in: Wikipedia 0.03 sec.
dark horse, in U.S. politics, a person unexpectedly chosen by a major party as a candidate for public office, especially for the presidency. A presidential dark horse is usually chosen at a party national convention and often has acquired only a local or limited reputation at the time of his nomination. He is invariably the offspring of compromise after rival factions have deadlocked the convention. Probably the best-known example of a dark horse is James K. Polk, who was selected at the Democratic convention of 1844 on the ninth ballot, although he had not been nominated until the eighth ballot.
dark horse
1. a competitor in a race or contest about whom little is known; an unknown
2. US Politics a candidate who is unexpectedly nominated or elected


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So a fuel-efficient hybrid could be a dark horse candidate on our show.
Lopez, a 28-year veteran of the LAPD and chief of Oxnard police since 1998, was elated by the announcement, though he referred to himself as a dark horse candidate next to some of the nation's best-known cops.
 
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