the.com/political capital

means The stock of trust, goodwill, and influence a leader has earned, which they can spend to push through a decision but which shrinks every time they spend it.

from A 19th-century metaphor built directly on financial capital — the accumulated wealth you invest rather than consume. Writers and politicians began speaking of 'capital' in a figurative sense (moral capital, social capital) once the economic term was well established, treating reputation and public trust as a kind of currency that could be saved, spent, or squandered. The phrase 'political capital' itself became common political-commentary shorthand particularly through the 20th century, used to describe the finite goodwill a leader draws down with each costly decision.