primary
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpɹaɪməɹi/
enpr: prīʹmĕr-ē
ipa: /ˈpɹaɪˌmɛɹi/
enpr: prīʹmə-rē
ipa: /ˈpɹaɪməɹi/
ipa: /ˈpɹaɪm(ə)ɹiː/
rhymes: -aɪməɹi
rhymes: -aɪmɛɹi
Forms: form: primaries
form: primarying
form: primaried
form: primaried
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin prīmārius (“of the first (rank); chief, principal; excellent”), from prīmus (first; whence the English adjective prime) + -ārius (whence the English suffix -ary); compare the French primaire, primer, and premier. Doublet of premier.
Senses: examples: text: In the New England town where he ran a “couple of night clubs” . he was “primarying the mayor."
ref: 1974, Stan Steiner, The Islands: the Worlds of the Puerto Ricans, page 191:
text: What political facts of life underpin the hopes and dreams of democratic politicians who would take on the awesome task of “primarying” a two-term incumbent governor
ref: 1980, Empire State Report, volumes 6-7, page 303:
text: Each of the past few election cycles has featured at least one instance of “primarying,” a challenge to an incumbent on the grounds that he or she is not sufficiently partisan.
ref: 2014, Sanford L. Jacobs, The Little Black Book of Political Wisdom:
text: The ad calls for loyal Tea Party members to step forward and run against all eighty-seven of the traitors in order to primary them.
ref: 2014, Uncle Sam, How Fox News KO'd The Republican Party:
text: These instances of “primarying,” according to many, make Congress more partisan and extreme.
ref: 2014, Robert G. Boatright, Congressional Primary Elections, page 8:
text: According to Boatright, 774 instances of challengers “primarying” sitting House incumbents occurred between 1970 and 2010.
ref: 2017, Aaron S. King, Unfolding Ambition in Senate Primary Elections, page 19:
text: Democrats have made “primarying” a key technique for shifting the balance of power in Congress to the left.
ref: 2019, Lawrence Lessig, They Don't Represent Us: Reclaiming Our Democracy:
text: In the last midterm election, every member of Congress who was defeated in a primary lost to a candidate who was more ideologically extreme. The message that sends to every other member is clear: If you work across the aisle to solve problems, prepare to be primaried and potentially defeated.
ref: 2020 August 7, Marc Merrill, Kathryn Murdoch, “How philanthropy could fix America’s broken politics”, in Fortune:
text: Richard Hopkins, an epidemiologist who spent 19 years at the Florida Department of Health, told the Post, in reference to DeSantis administration officials, “They keep hoping it’s going to go away by itself. I don’t know what’s going on -- whether they’re afraid that they will get primaried by someone to their right if they take appropriate public health action.”
ref: 2020 July 28, Steve Benen, “DeSantis' response panned as 'divorced from scientific evidence'”, in MSNBC:
text: Trump has most Republican congressmen leery of opposing him on any issue, mainly out of fear of getting "primaried" by a Trump loyalist.
ref: 2020 August 11, Joe Traynor, “COMMUNITY VOICES: The test is coming for Republicans”, in The Bakersfield Californian:
text: “My message to Kevin McCarthy is, take all of her committee assignments away … also, don’t support her when she runs for re-election again and try to get her primaried. If you say this is not your party, actually call it out and hold her accountable,” Hogg told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota on “New Day.”
ref: 2021 January 28, Chandelis Duster, quoting David Hogg, “Parkland shooting survivor calls for House GOP leader to denounce Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene”, in CNN:
topics: government
politics
glosses: To challenge (an incumbent sitting politician) for their political party's nomination to run for re-election, through running a challenger campaign in a primary election, especially one that is more ideologically extreme.
examples: text: Both were worried that Bailey would break some of their delegate commitments to keep them from primarying.
ref: 1981, Joseph I. Lieberman, The Legacy: Connecticut Politics, 1930-1980, page 171:
text: First, I'd challenge my opponent for the convention nomination. If I didn't prevail at the convention, that would be my answer. I wouldn't “primary” him—meaning, I wouldn't force a statewide primary election if he and I were the only two candidates in the field.
ref: 2011, Christine O'Donnell, Troublemaker: Let's Do What It Takes to Make America Great Again, page 169:
text: “That’s the fun part - finding out who’s the unknown person who may want to primary to get one of the positions,” Kolenberg said.
ref: 2017 July 13, Angela Carella, “Stamford town clerk seeks nomination despite ballot probe”, in Stamford Advocate:
glosses: To take part in a primary election.