From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfavourite sonfavourite sonPOPULARa politician, sports player etc who is popular with people in the place that they come from → favourite
Examples from the Corpus
favourite son• And Rebekah will never again see her favourite son.• On the other hand, Dubroca, even before Fouroux's exit, was one of Albert Ferrasse's favourite sons.• Wolsey played with the gold pendant around his neck and smirked patronisingly at Agrippa as if he was a favourite son.• Pamela thought for a moment of Roy, her favourite son, and Bernice, his wife - also a career girl.• He was not her favourite son, but he was something. 