At the core of some recent rallies (7)
I believe the answer is:
central
'at the core' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'some recent rallies' is the wordplay.
'some' indicates a hidden word (some parts of the word are used).
'CENTRAL' is hidden in the letters of 'recent rallies'.
'of' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for central that I've seen before include "Key" , "Middle; crucial" , "Every answer here has one such letter" , "like this answer" , "Near the middle" .)