Hoping to be elected to get kudos (8)
I believe the answer is:
standing
'hoping' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both related to thinking as well as being present participle verbs.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'be elected to get kudos' is the wordplay.
'be' becomes 'stand' (standing is a kind of being).
'elected' becomes 'in'.
'to get kudos' becomes 'g' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'stand'+'in'+'g'='STANDING'
'to' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for standing that I've seen before include "Status - on one's feet" , "Being a candidate - status" , "Still in" , "(Of corn) not yet reaped" , "Status, reputation" .)