standard-bearer

父子で大統領を務めた名門政治一家出身として万全の態勢で大統領選に臨んだジェブ・ブッシュ氏が撤退に追い込まれました。その目には、うっすらと涙があったそうです。

In his emotional seven-minute farewell to a Republican Party that elevated his father and brother to the White House, there were two words that a choked-up Jeb Bush could not bring himself to utter: “Donald Trump.”

With Mr. Bush’s exit, mainstream Republicans did not just lose a beloved would-be standard-bearer. They are now bereft of the single most forceful and outspoken detractor of Mr. Trump in the presidential campaign. In debate after debate, and rally after rally, Mr. Bush questioned Mr. Trump’s tactics, his qualifications, his judgment, his worldview and his very decency.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/21/us/politics/bush-family-donald-trump.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=span-abc-region®ion=span-abc-region&WT.nav=span-abc-region&_r=0

今回取り上げる表現は，“standard-bearer”です。“bearer”には，「（手紙などの）使者，運搬する人」といった意味があります。では，“standard”と共に用いることでどのような意味になるのか。Merriam-Webster onlineを確認してみると，“the leader of an organization, movement, or political party”とありました。また，「コトバンク」を見てみると，「（政党・運動の）主唱者, 唱導者」と載っていました。ここでは，これらの意味が適していると思います。(Nao)