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wedge issue

noun

  1. an issue that divides or causes conflict in an otherwise unified group:

    Abortion is a wedge issue for the Republican Party.



wedge issue

noun

  1. an issue that is likely to cause division between the members of a group
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of wedge issue1

First recorded in 1990–95
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Example Sentences

It’s possible crime emerges as a wedge issue in the 2022 midterms.

Once a deeply divisive wedge issue that Republicans used to their political advantage, same-sex marriage has now reached an all-time high level of support among all Americans.

A decade ago, gays were a wedge issue used by Republicans to energize the base.

I asked Chaltain if he thought public charters could be a productive wedge issue for Republicans.

Once a wedge issue that worked to the advantage of the GOP, gay marriage is now seen as benefiting the Democratic Party.

In the 1970s, crime was a wedge issue: pushing white urban Democrats away from their black and liberal New Deal allies.

This year, however, it has become a wedge issue in the presidential contest.

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