Social Democrats suffer heavy losses in traditional strongholds

Danish Social Democrats have lost significant voter support in several of their long-standing electoral bastions, with declines of up to 13.4% in key districts, reports DR.

In Frederikshavn, a historic stronghold for the party, Social Democrats lost more than a quarter of their votes compared to the 2022 election. The party’s top candidate, Peder Key Kristiansen, failed to secure a seat in parliament. “We’ve been a district that elected representatives for nearly 100 years, so this stings,” he said, acknowledging a weak campaign.

Randers, another traditional Social Democrat stronghold, saw nearly 6,000 fewer votes for the party. Voter Susanne Lund, who stopped supporting the party years ago, cited its coalition with the centre-right Venstre and Moderaterne as a key reason. “Mette Frederiksen formed a government across the centre when she could have formed a left-wing one. To me, this is no longer a red party,” she said.

Analyst Sune Steffen Hansen, a former Social Democrat advisor, attributed the decline to the party’s shift rightward. “Many voters here were surprised by how far to the right Social Democrats have moved,” he said.

The absence of long-serving MP Bjarne Laustsen, who represented Frederikshavn for over 20 years, also contributed to the losses. Local resident Peter Giltoft noted Laustsen’s deep local ties, while Kristiansen admitted his own lower profile hurt his campaign.

While local controversies—such as Randers’ Nordic Waste scandal and Frederikshavn’s harbour debt—have plagued the party, Hansen downplayed their impact on the national election. “Social Democrats are losing support nationwide, not just in these areas,” he said, pointing to broader discontent among working-class voters over issues like the abolition of the Great Prayer Day holiday.

The party’s worst losses were recorded in Lolland (-13.4%), Randers Nord (-10.6%), and Frederikshavn (-10%).