From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstandard-bearerˈstandard-ˌbearer noun [countable] formal 1 SUPPORT A PERSON, GROUP, OR PLANan important leader in a moral argument or political group2 PMAa soldier in past times who carried the standard (=flag) at the front of an army
Examples from the Corpus
standard-bearer• The Soil Association, a standard-bearer for the organic movement, was disappointed by the agency paper.• Clinton is not Hubert Humphrey, the 1968 Democratic standard-bearer who believed the government could solve almost any problem.• The 73-year-old Republican standard-bearer took time out of his busy campaign schedule last week to search for those roots.• Sir Keith Joseph, the right's standard-bearer, blew it with an injudicious speech about the underclass.• The flag of each regiment was proudly carried in front by its sturdy standard-bearer.• In the march toward Manifest Destiny, Frederic Church was now one of the standard-bearers. 