Record not the first for Middle America? (5)
I believe the answer is:
enter
'record' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'not the first for middle america?' is the wordplay.
'not the first for' means to remove the first letter.
'middle america?' becomes 'center' (US spelling of 'centre').
'center' with its first letter removed is 'ENTER'.
(Other definitions for enter that I've seen before include "Go in - set down" , "Make a record of" , "Get in" , "Take part in a contest" , "Move into" .)