top out

[ostap77]

"The hot weather continued yesterday with the temperature in New York topping out at 37 degrees C."

Can a candidate top out at 52% of the votes in the elections?

[Tdol]

I wouldn't use it- it doesn't have the idea of beating/winning, just reaching a maximum or high to me.

[Vidor]

"The hot weather continued yesterday with the temperature in New York topping out at 37 degrees C."

Can a candidate top out at 52% of the votes in the elections?

Yes, if you are talking about a series of elections. Although probably not with 52%, since that means you would have had to win, and as the poster above says "topping out" reallly doesn't connote winning. You could say "Eugene Debs ran for president five times, topping out with 6% in 1912."