OE


“Erstwhile” means past or former, indicating that those who are now “gathering around” the candidate were once doing something different—that is, criticizing or detracting. The correct answer for the first blank must be “detractors.” “Supporters” and “zealots” (fanatical supporters) are the reverse of what you want and are there to trap anyone who doesn’t notice the word “erstwhile.” These former “detractors” are “gathering around her” to proclaim their loyalty, or “fealty,” in a way that is deeply inconsistent with their past actions, as they are “behaving in a manner” that one might call “outright hypocrisy.” They are not proclaiming their “distaste” or “magnanimity,” which means generosity, especially from a former opponent. Since the last sentence says that the former opponents didn’t feel at all embarrassed about behavior that might be described “as _________ outright hypocrisy,” the third blank must mean equivalent to or the same as, which is exactly what “tantamount to” means. Neither “reciprocal with” (an equal exchange with) nor “hinging on” (dependent on) fit the desired meaning here.