Meanings
- USgovernmentA day, often in April, in which a large number of states in the Northeast hold their primary elections for the process of nominating presidential candidates.
A week later at the end of April, Clinton cleaned house in the "Acela Primary" that covered Delaware, Connecticut, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, while Sanders only won the smallest state, Rhode Island.
2019, Grant Stern, edited by Scott Dworkin, Bernie Sanders: A Voter's Guide (Meet the Candidates), Skyhorse, →ISBN1 more example
As expected, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton did very well in the April 26 Acela primary. Trump won all five states outright, his lowest percentage occurring in Maryland at 54% and his best showing in Rhode Island with nearly 64%.
2019, JD Foster, 2016: the Campaign Chronicles, 2nd edition, Xlibris, →ISBN
Origin
Many of the states in this primary are served by the Acela Express.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Acela primary. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Acela%20primary
“Acela primary.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Acela%20primary. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Acela primary,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Acela%20primary.
Source: Acela primary on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.