Throwing one’s “hat in the ring” means announcing one’s intention to compete in a contest. In politics, it means running for political office.
The phrase originally comes from boxing, where contestants would literally throw their hats into the boxing …
“Wilderness years” are a period of time in a politician’s career when he or she is not holding a position of power. This may happen because the politician has left his or her political party or has taken a hiatus …
To “electioneer” is to actively take part in an election by working for the election of a candidate or a party.
The word is almost always used in a pejorative sense. Most of the time “electioneering” is used to suggest …