anointed

Regardless, Newsom inevitably will be pushed into the presidential arena by the news media, which already has anointed him as a leading contender.

After Biden dropped out of the race following a disastrous debate performance, Harris was anointed to the top of the ticket, bypassing the scrutiny of a primary without a single vote being cast.

"He is the anointed," she told me.

As they did during the 2020 primary when a series of strategic endorsements essentially anointed Joe Biden as the nominee, Democrats decided to prioritize “being in position to defeat Donald Trump” over any other consideration.

It was during that 2010 stint on “The X Factor” that Cowell anointed him a member of One Direction, which would go on to become one of the most successful pop groups of the decade.