carpetbaggers

1. Northerners who went to the South after the Civil War to take part in Reconstruction governments, when persons who had supported the Confederacy were not allowed to hold public office ( see Fourteenth Amendment ). Some of them arrived, according to legend, carrying only one carpetbag, which symbolized their lack of permanent interest in the place they pretended to serve.

Notes

Carpetbagger is still a general term for nonresident politicians who exploit their districts.

Example Sentences

Do voters really still punish carpetbaggers and reward candidates with deep ties to their districts?

From Salon

Worries that outsiders — the “Gucci carpetbaggers,” described by one of the book’s characters — are overrunning the city.

From Washington Post

After the Civil War, in this view, a cabal of carpetbaggers and vindictive Black officials was attempting to destroy the Southern way of life.

From Washington Post

“When these carpetbaggers lose, you will never see them again,” Barnette said.

From Washington Post

“We don’t want carpetbaggers coming in here with lots of money,” Mr. Niceley told a local television station last month.

From New York Times