Meaning

noun a politician who is running for public office

noun someone who is considered for something (for an office or prize or honor etc.)

originFrom Latin candidātus (“a person who is standing for public office”, noun), from candidus (“dazzling white, shining, clear”) + -ātus, -āta, -ātum (participial adjective-forming suffix), in reference to Roman candidates wearing bleached white togas as a symbol of purity at a public forum. By surface analysis, candid + -ate (noun-forming suffix).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0