Elections & terms
incumbent
The current holder of an office. Incumbents seeking reelection win far more often than not, name recognition, fundraising, and the office itself all help.
In full
Incumbency is the single strongest predictor in congressional elections; House incumbents have historically won reelection at rates above 90 percent. A race with no incumbent is an 'open seat' and is where most turnover actually happens.
Also written as: open seat
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Browse every term in the glossary, or see the vocabulary in motion in the How government works walkthroughs.
A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.