noun
official candidate
A candidate who has been officially endorsed by a political party or organization, typically for an election.
彼は自民党の公認候補者として選挙に立候補した。
He ran in the election as the official candidate of the Liberal Democratic Party.
公認候補者になるには党の審査を通過しなければならない。
To become an official candidate, you must pass the party's screening process.
候補者 is a general term for any candidate, while 公認候補者 specifically means an officially endorsed candidate.
Compound of 公認 (official recognition/endorsement) and 候補者 (candidate).