Incumbent parties face significant losses in global elections including U.S. Democrats

In the 2024 elections, many incumbent parties worldwide, including the Democrats in the U.S., lost significant ground. Over 80% of democracies that held elections saw incumbents lose seats or vote share, marking a historic trend of voter dissatisfaction. Countries like Japan, Botswana, and South Africa experienced major losses for long-standing ruling parties. In Senegal, an opposition candidate won a presidential election outright for the first time since independence in 1960, while Sri Lanka's opposition achieved a landslide victory. Despite these global trends, Democrats fared relatively well, with minor losses compared to other high-income countries. The U.S. economy's stronger performance may have helped, but issues like inflation and housing costs dominated voter concerns, contributing to the overall discontent with the government.