Surrogate politics

Extracted Attributes

• Purpose

  To rally supporters, offer a headliner in place of the candidate, attract key interest groups, communicate political beliefs and endorsements, and bring attention to campaigns.

• Definition

  A person appointed to act for another, specifically in politics, someone who campaigns or acts on behalf of a candidate or politician by making public appearances or issuing statements.

• Concept Type

  Political practice

• Spousal Role

  Candidate spouses are frequently deployed surrogates, viewed as an extension of the candidate, and increasingly take on important roles in campaigning.

• Modern Influence

  Social media has made it easier for surrogates to directly communicate with their fans and has increased their popularity in local elections.

• Common Surrogates

  Other politicians, celebrities, influential persons, and candidate spouses.

• Historical Context

  An old practice dating back to the early days of politics.

Timeline

• The practice of using campaign surrogates dates back to this period. (Source: web_search_results)

  Early days of politics

• The science fiction film 'Surrogates' was released, exploring a society interacting through remote-controlled robots, which might have metaphorically influenced the term 'surrogate politics' in some discussions. (Source: wikipedia)

  2009-09-25

• Social media has made it easier for campaign surrogates to directly communicate with their fans and has increased their popularity in elections. (Source: web_search_results)

  Modern day

• High-profile conservatives served as surrogates for Donald Trump's campaign, with some potentially auditioning for roles in a future administration. (Source: web_search_results)

  2024-01-19

Surrogates

Surrogates is a 2009 American science fiction action film based on the 2005–2006 comic book series The Surrogates. Directed by Jonathan Mostow, it stars Bruce Willis as Tom Greer, an FBI agent who ventures out into the real world to investigate the murder of surrogates (humanoid remote-controlled robots). It also stars Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe, James Cromwell and Ving Rhames. The film's main concept centers on the mysterious murder of a college student linked to the man who helped create a high-tech surrogate phenomenon that allows people to purchase remote-controlled humanoid robots through which they interact with society. These fit, attractive, remotely controlled robots ultimately assume their life roles, enabling people to experience life vicariously from the comfort and safety of their own homes. Surrogates was released on September 25, 2009, in the United States and Canada. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over $122 million.

Web Search Results

• What are campaign surrogates? - 11Alive.com

  A campaign surrogate is another politician, celebrity or person of influence, campaigning on a candidate’s behalf. According to Eric Kasper, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, it’s an old practice dating back to the early days of politics. [...] But surrogates can have positive impacts on elections even if it means getting more people to the polls. And with social media – it’s becoming more popular for powerful political or celebrity surrogates to come into local elections. “Today with social media, it’s a lot easier for them to directly communicate with their fans what their political beliefs are and what they’re endorsements are,” Kasper said. [...] And again, because of social media and a growing consumption of news, obviously candidates can’t be everywhere at once. So, surrogates are used to feed the masses per se. So, while surrogates might not necessarily win elections for their candidates, they do bring attention to them. And attention is a gold mine in politics, so expect to keep seeing them for the foreseeable future. WXIA-TV # Download the Atlanta News from 11Alive App Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

• SURROGATE Definition & Meaning

  Politics., someone who acts on behalf of a politician or political candidate by making public appearances, issuing statements, etc., when that person is engaged elsewhere or when that person’s image would be bolstered by certain affiliations. His camp won the “prestige of science” battle by signing on high-profile physicists, chemists, and biologists as campaign surrogates. ## adjective regarded or acting as a surrogate. a surrogate father. [...] Advertisement Skip to surrogate Advertisement # surrogate [sur-uh-geyt, -git, suhr-, sur-uh-geyt, suhr-] ## noun a person appointed to act for another; deputy. (in some states) a judicial officer having jurisdiction over the probate of wills, the administration of estates, etc. the deputy of an ecclesiastical judge, especially of a bishop or a bishop's chancellor. a substitute. a surrogate mother. [...] psychiatry a person who is a substitute for someone else, esp in childhood when different persons, such as a brother or teacher, can act as substitutes for the parents (in some US states) a judge with jurisdiction over the probate of wills, etc (modifier) of, relating to, or acting as a surrogate a surrogate pleasure ## verb to put in another's position as a deputy, substitute, etc to appoint as a successor to oneself ## Other Word Forms ## Word History and Origins

• High profile conservatives serve as surrogates as Trump looks to ...

  “The more successful a campaign is, the more likely a candidate is viewed as winning, the more attracted surrogates are to that campaign,” said Gregg Keller, a longtime Republican strategist who served as the national coalitions director for Mitt Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign. “I think thoughtful observers have been of the opinion that Donald Trump is more likely to win the nomination than anyone else and therefore it makes easier to get surrogates.” [...] In any modern day campaign cycle, a presidential campaign on the rise will have surrogates fanning out to rally supporters, offer a headliner in place of the candidate, or attract key interest groups. But some of Trump’s more bombastic backers have been going out of their way to stir the pot on his behalf. Ahead of the Iowa caucuses, Lake spent a Sunday at the Soteria Church in West Des Moines, a Baptist church where Bob Vander Plaats – the prominent Iowa social conservative who backed DeSantis [...] For many of these surrogates, the chance to prove their loyalty to the former president and put their star power on display could serve as an audition for a potential spot in Trump’s next administration, should he be reelected. Trump has said that he will be very careful in selecting potential administration officials this time around, and is likely to focus on who remained loyal to him and his ideology.

• "Candidate wives: Spouses as strategic surrogates on the ...

  This research project investigates the roles that candidate spouses play on the presidential campaign trail. The presidential candidate’s wife is one of the most important and frequently deployed surrogates. Her marital relationship affords her close proximity to the man who will potentially be the most powerful individual in American government. The public views her as an extension of the candidate and as evidence of his character and image. An effective spousal surrogate will speak to her [...] model of spousal surrogacy that describes how and why candidate wives play specific roles on the campaign trail. While representing her husband, the candidate wife plays multiple roles as the traditional political wife and the political surrogate and advocate. Overtime, I find that candidate wives have taken on an increasingly important and prominent role in campaigning. They make more speeches, give more interviews and discuss a wider array of topics now than past elections. This increased [...] political activity is tempered by the finding that most spousal political-oriented talk remains restricted to issues within a traditionally feminine sphere of influence. This project helps meet the need for systematic research of candidate spouses. It also contributes to a more complete understanding of American presidential election campaigns. Future studies should examine the campaign activity of spouses at other governmental levels to explain the roles of both female and male candidate

• SURROGATE Definition & Meaning

  : to appoint as successor, deputy, or substitute for oneself b : substitute ## Examples of surrogate in a Sentence Noun He could not attend the meeting, so he sent his surrogate. The governor and her surrogates asked the public to support the change. They had their baby through a surrogate. Recent Examples on the Web Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More [...] Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback. Noun The pair welcomed a daughter, Royce Lillian, via surrogate in 2022. —Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 3 Aug. 2025 There are businesses that act as matchmakers, connecting surrogates to people who want to have children. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 18 July 2025 After running for president in 2024, Ramaswamy endorsed Trump, becoming a key surrogate. [...] often attributive Synonyms of surrogate a : one appointed to act in place of another : deputy b : a local judicial officer in some states (such as New York) who has jurisdiction over the probate of wills, the settlement of estates, and the appointment and supervision of guardians : surrogate mother 3 : one that serves as a substitute surrogate 2 of 2 ## verb sur·​ro·​gate ˈsər-ə-ˌgāt") ˈsə-rə- surrogated; surrogating transitive verb : to put in the place of another: a