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Dark horse

This article describes dark horse candidates. For other uses, see Dark Horse.

A dark horse candidate is one who is nominated unexpectedly, without previously having been discussed or considered as a likely choice. Often a dark horse is selected as a compromise when other, more prominent candidates' factions cannot come to an agreement. This metaphoric expression originally alluded to an unknown horse winning a race and was so used in a novel by Benjamin Disraeli (The Young Duke, 1831).

Politically, the term was first applied to James K. Polk, a relatively unknown Tennessee Democrat who won the Democratic Party's 1844 presidential nomination over a host of better-known candidates. Polk won the nomination on the eighth ballot, and went on to win the 1844 presidential election.

Other famous dark horse candidates for the United States presidency include:

Franklin Pierce, chosen as the Democratic nominee and later elected the 14th president in 1852
Abraham Lincoln, chosen as the Republican nominee and elected as the 16th president in 1860.
Rutherford B. Hayes, elected the 19th president in 1876.
James A. Garfield, elected the 20th president in 1880.
Warren G. Harding, elected the 29th president after his surprise nomination.
John W. Davis, the unsuccessful Democratic nominee in 1924.
Wendell Willkie, the unsuccessful Republican nominee in 1940.
John McCain, nominated as the Republican candidate in 2008 after his campaign suffered near total colapse.

More recently, some have described Bill Clinton as a dark horse, after he overcame a crowded field of Democratic hopefuls to win the 1992 presidential election. The same has been said about Jimmy Carter and the 1976 presidential election.

The term dark horse is also used outside the political context. Surprising or unlikely nominations for such prizes as the Academy Award are referred to as dark horses. It is also used in sport, in connection with competitors or teams that, despite not being favourites, are expected to challenge to win.