Coattails Effect (Noun)
Meaning
(politics) the consequence of one popular candidate in an election drawing votes for other members of the same political party; "he counted on the coattails effect to win him the election".
Classification
Nouns denoting natural phenomena.
Examples
- The presidential candidate's popularity was expected to have a strong coattails effect, helping to elect several new members of Congress from her party.
- The coattails effect of the charismatic governor's re-election campaign was seen as a major factor in the state legislature's shift to her party's control.
- The local mayor's landslide victory was attributed in part to the coattails effect of the popular senator who was running for re-election on the same ticket.
- The coattails effect of the incumbent president's popularity was not enough to save the struggling congressional candidate in the neighboring district.
- The coattails effect of the well-known senator's candidacy was seen as a major advantage for the lesser-known candidates running for state office on the same party ticket.