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An incumbent is a person who holds a political office or position and may have an advantage in elections due to experience and connections. However, they can also face backlash and be voted out. Challengers often focus on political change and may receive support from their party. Incumbents are identified on ballots, but it’s important to research all candidates.
In politics, an incumbent is someone who holds a political office, position, or title. Usually, the term only appears during elections, when an incumbent may be challenged for a position by another politician. This word comes from a Latin root meaning “to lie down”, which then meant “to possess”. This term is also used in the business world, to describe a company with strong influence in an industry or an individual who is primarily responsible for the operations of a company.
Incumbents sometimes have an advantage in elections. Voters often prefer to vote for incumbents because they know the incumbent has experience in the position, and if she has done a good job, voters may prefer to simply keep the incumbent in office. Incumbents also have a large network of connections and supporters that they can leverage during an election to increase their chances of being re-elected. They can also draw on concrete examples of the charitable work they’ve done during their tenure to persuade voters to re-elect them.
However, an incumbent may also be forced to deal with the backlash. If things didn’t go well during the previous legislature, whether or not it was the incumbent’s fault, voters can react by voting out of office. Sometimes, an anti-incumbency movement will arise in a community, with activists mounting a concerted effort to remove as many incumbency workers as possible, with the goal of fundamentally changing government at the local, state, or national level.
Challengers to a political seat often exploit this attitude, compensating for a lack of political connections and experience with a platform strongly focused on political change. Sometimes, a political party will also provide support to such candidates, as in the Democratic Party’s Red to Blue program in the United States, which offers assistance to Democrats attempting to shake up traditionally Republican districts.
On a ballot paper, the incumbent is often identified with “incumbent” next to his or her name, along with party affiliation. For people who have trouble keeping track of political officials, this can be extremely helpful, as it allows them to decide whether they want to vote to maintain the status quo or try someone new. However, it is still a good idea to research challengers, as their policies may be even worse than the incumbent’s, thus making the situation worse.
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