favorite son

noun

U.S. Politics.

1. (at a national political convention) a candidate nominated for office by delegates from the candidate's own state.

favorite son

noun

1. (in the US) a politician popular in his home state but little admired beyond it

favorite son

1. A political figure nominated for the presidency by his or her state's delegation to the national nominating convention of a major party. Favorite sons are rarely serious candidates for the party's nomination. By nominating a favorite son, the delegation honors its nominee while delaying its commitment until the more serious contenders for the nomination can be sorted out.

Word History and Origins

Origin of favorite son¹

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

Idioms and Phrases

A person valued by his or her hometown or organization for his or her achievements, usually political, as in Mary hoped they would treat her as a favorite son and nominate her for state senator. This term was originally employed for a candidate nominated for office by his own locality. Today this usage may ignore gender, as in the example. [c. 1780]

Example Sentences

The dashing former helicopter pilot was widely considered his mother’s favorite son and courtiers said Queen Elizabeth II didn’t want to take steps to fully humiliate him.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The former helicopter pilot was feted as a hero during the Falklands War, and was widely regarded as Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite son.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Have warm feelings toward Copenhagen’s favorite son, Hans Christian Andersen, and his little tales about lovelorn mermaids and ugly ducklings?

Read more on Los Angeles Times

They’re going to take place in the family circle, which is evident when the paterfamilias starts listing the order of his favorite sons while they’re chowing down at the breakfast table.

Read more on New York Times

"America needs closure. One of their favorite sons, me, has been cut down in the prime of his life at 17-years-old," Yang as Santos says.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• applicant 
• aspirant 
• bidder 
• competitor 
• contender 
• contestant 
• nominee 
• successor