| 100% | LIBERATOR | 9 | The —, nickname of Irish and Venezuelan political leaders Daniel O'Connell and Simon Bolivar |
| 32% | DWADE | 5 | Nickname of the Miami Heat's all-time leader in points, games, assists and steals |
| 29% | IANPAISLEY | 10 | Northern Ireland religious and political leader who died in 2014; co-founder of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster |
| 28% | ROSIE | 5 | O'Donnell nicknamed the Queen of Nice |
| 28% | DOOMSDAYDEFENSE | 15 | Nickname of the disruptive Dallas Cowboys lineup of the 1960s and '70s |
| 28% | REGAL | 5 | Royal-sounding, like the nicknames of 44a, 56a, and 23d |
| 28% | IKE | 3 | Nickname of the president between Harry and Jack |
| 28% | DALAILAMA | 9 | Spiritual and political leader of Tibet |
| 28% | BOLIVAR | 7 | Venezuelan political leader Simón |
| 27% | BURKE | 5 | Robert O'Hara —, Irish soldier, leader of the first expedition across Australia from south to north, who died in 1861 |
| 27% | GANDALF | 7 | Leader and mentor of the Fellowship of the Ring |
| 27% | SCALIA | 6 | Political subject of the 2018 memoir "Nino and Me" |
| 27% | WEXFORD | 7 | Irish town and county in the SE of the country |
| 27% | PMS | 3 | The leaders of Thailand and Malaysia, e.g., for short |
| 27% | SUSANNA | 7 | __ and the Elders, story in the Book of Daniel |
| 27% | GARFUNKEL | 9 | He and Simon sang The Sound of Silence |
| 27% | EMMET | 5 | Leader of the 1803 Irish rebellion |
| 27% | ENYA | 4 | Irish singer and keyboardist who's the "Queen of New Age" |
| 27% | MILHAUD | 7 | Darius —, composer of the operas Christophe Colomb and Bolivar |
| 26% | SEWANEE | 7 | Home and nickname of The University of the South |
| 26% | NEWLEFT | 7 | Political movement of the 1960s and 1970s |
| 26% | ABELINCOLN | 10 | Political leader who patented a system to alter the buoyancy of steamboats |
| 26% | BELIEBER | 8 | Nickname for a fan of the singer of "Love Yourself" and "Sorry" |
| 26% | MRBIG | 5 | Nickname of Carrie's boyfriend on "Sex and the City": 2 wds. |
| 26% | OCASIO | 6 | With 13-Across, the "O" and "C" of the political world's A.O.C. |
| 26% | JLO | 3 | Nickname of the singer known for "All I Have" and "On the Floor": 2 wds. |
| 26% | LOACH | 5 | Ken —, director of the films Raining Stones and I, Daniel Blake |
| 26% | PEGG | 4 | Simon of the "Mission: Impossible" and "Star Trek" franchises |
| 26% | MAO | 3 | Leader of China in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s |
| 26% | ALVIN | 5 | Brother of the chipmunks Simon and Theodore |