wedge issue
noun
: a political issue that divides a candidate's supporters or the members of a party
Examples of wedge issue in a Sentence
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State and local bans on trans girls in K-12 and college sports continue to proliferate across the U.S., as conservatives have latched onto the topic as a useful wedge issue against LGBTQ+ rights.
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Samantha Riedel, Them., 4 Apr. 2025
The popular entitlements, which are considered politically untouchable by many in Congress, came with a warning label from Republican senators for DOGE not to slash benefits as Democrats look to make the administration’s handling of the programs a wedge issue.
—Ramsey Touchberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 Mar. 2025
By 2017, however, FRC and other far-right groups had landed on trans rights as a useful wedge issue to splinter the LGBTQ+ movement as a whole.
—Samantha Riedel, Them., 27 Mar. 2025
In some ways, these statements are not so different from more familiar efforts to use the military as a wedge issue in U.S. politics.
—Risa Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for wedge issue
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Samantha Riedel, Them., 4 Apr. 2025
The popular entitlements, which are considered politically untouchable by many in Congress, came with a warning label from Republican senators for DOGE not to slash benefits as Democrats look to make the administration’s handling of the programs a wedge issue.
—Ramsey Touchberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 Mar. 2025
By 2017, however, FRC and other far-right groups had landed on trans rights as a useful wedge issue to splinter the LGBTQ+ movement as a whole.
—Samantha Riedel, Them., 27 Mar. 2025
In some ways, these statements are not so different from more familiar efforts to use the military as a wedge issue in U.S. politics.
—Risa Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for wedge issue
Cite this Entry
“Wedge issue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wedge%20issue. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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