wedge issue
noun
: a political issue that divides a candidate's supporters or the members of a party
Examples of wedge issue in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Last, climate change has simply become much harder to ignore and is shaping up to possibly become a wedge issue with future generations: The only audience question posed at the Republican debate came from a student who noted polling that shows climate change is one of young people’s top concerns.
—
Molly Taft, The New Republic, 1 Sep. 2023
The legal basis for doing so is dubious, and the apparent assumption of Democrats that this is a political wedge issue favoring their side is questionable.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 26 July 2023
Crime has been a wedge issue since Biden took office, with opponents taking aim at the rise in violence in U.S. cities and progressive calls to shift police funding to other anti-crime initiatives.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 28 Apr. 2023
Despite Republican candidates’ relentless use of crime as a wedge issue in 2022, criminal-justice reform was actually a rare area of bipartisan consensus for much of Willis’s time working under Howard.
—Mark Binelli, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2023
With no deal in sight, immigration has become more of a political wedge issue for years.
—Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 13 Jan. 2023
Levine, who has visited hospitals and clinics providing gender-affirming care across the country to advocate for the importance of the services, believes that pundits and politicians are targeting trans youth as a wedge issue for the upcoming election along with reproductive rights.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 5 Nov. 2022
But today, just as nationwide incarceration rates were beginning to slowly drop, public anxiety over crime is being turned into a wedge issue between the two political parties to undermine progress made on civil rights and criminal justice reform.
—Time, 3 Nov. 2022
Candidates in three San Diego City Council runoffs have taken opposite stances on a November ballot measure that would repeal free trash pickup for the city’s single-family homes, and the measure could become a wedge issue in some of the races.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2022
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Molly Taft, The New Republic, 1 Sep. 2023
The legal basis for doing so is dubious, and the apparent assumption of Democrats that this is a political wedge issue favoring their side is questionable.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 26 July 2023
Crime has been a wedge issue since Biden took office, with opponents taking aim at the rise in violence in U.S. cities and progressive calls to shift police funding to other anti-crime initiatives.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 28 Apr. 2023
Despite Republican candidates’ relentless use of crime as a wedge issue in 2022, criminal-justice reform was actually a rare area of bipartisan consensus for much of Willis’s time working under Howard.
—Mark Binelli, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2023
With no deal in sight, immigration has become more of a political wedge issue for years.
—Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 13 Jan. 2023
Levine, who has visited hospitals and clinics providing gender-affirming care across the country to advocate for the importance of the services, believes that pundits and politicians are targeting trans youth as a wedge issue for the upcoming election along with reproductive rights.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 5 Nov. 2022
But today, just as nationwide incarceration rates were beginning to slowly drop, public anxiety over crime is being turned into a wedge issue between the two political parties to undermine progress made on civil rights and criminal justice reform.
—Time, 3 Nov. 2022
Candidates in three San Diego City Council runoffs have taken opposite stances on a November ballot measure that would repeal free trash pickup for the city’s single-family homes, and the measure could become a wedge issue in some of the races.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wedge issue.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1982, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near wedge issue
Cite this Entry
“Wedge issue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wedge%20issue. Accessed 22 Sep. 2023.
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