Possible Clues:

• Baptismal sponsor
• May be father or mother, but not really
• Sponsor honourable man keeping up party standard
• One at the font and perhaps pan and piano are not
• Pet dragon (anag)
• Sponsor of series sadly pulled out in upheaval of Great Depression
• A drop gets sprinkled - bloke around may be this
• Republicans are not accepting Democrat as sponsor
• Get pardon sorted out for sponsor
• Grand poet, struggling, finds sponsor