front runner

Paramount had initially been viewed as a front runner in the deal given the close ties Ellison and his father, Oracle Corp.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 8, 2025

The other was the vigorous argument between abstraction and figuration as front runner of the avant-garde, then being hard-fought in the American art world.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2025

The first two leadership ballots of Conservative MPs made him the front runner in the race to succeed Rishi Sunak.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2024

Some reviews are predicting that one of the film's stars Ralph Fiennes could well be the early front runner for best actor too.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2024

Twice champion of the USSR, he’d won the 1958 Portorož Interzonal, becoming a front runner to play the incumbent titleholder, Mikhail Botvinnik, for the World Championship in 1960.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Xavier Becerra — the front-runner in the race to succeed Newsom as governor — had all urged Bonta to settle the case.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

But entering the game on Saturday, it was somehow easy to forget that the 24-year-old front-runner for the Heisman Trophy would even be involved.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan was the front-runner after last month's first informal vote, in which the council's 15 members, including the five with veto power, pass judgment in secret on the candidates.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

The Trump-endorsed front-runner for the seat put it more bluntly still: “The fact that the Republicans have an ability to regain the seat is great. I love it.”

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

Then, somewhat oddly, both the Democratic front-runner in the primary and the ensuing Republican nominee became embroiled in scandals involving their ex-wives.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama