kingmaker

The Atlantic dubbed Kirk “the right’s new kingmaker.”

Critics have suggested Harris’ rise had more to do with political savvy — or her relationship in the mid-1990s with San Francisco political kingmaker Willie Brown — than talent or smarts.

Ms Wagenknecht’s personal brand of “left-wing conservatism” has already propelled her party this month into the potential role of kingmaker in Saxony and Thuringia.

Winfrey has played the role of political kingmaker before: According to one study, her endorsement of Barack Obama in 2007 translated to a million votes for the candidate.

In Louisiana, he is known as a philanthropist for local institutions and is considered a political kingmaker.