Something fishy in the election (3)
I believe the answer is:
eel
'something fishy' is the definition.
(eel is a type of fish)
'in the election' is the wordplay.
'in' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'EEL' is hidden within 'the election'.
(Other definitions for eel that I've seen before include "Long thin fish" , "Apode" , "Moray or electric, for instance" , "Sea creature like conger" , "Slender fish" .)