Social Democrats target former Moderates in election battle

The Social Democrats must retain voters who switched from the right in the last election, while also fighting the Sweden Democrats in northern Sweden and the Moderates in major cities, according to SVT election reporter Fouad Youcefi.

“This election is truly a multi-front war for the Social Democrats,” Youcefi said.

The party made only a marginal gain in the previous election. Although it lost voters to the Sweden Democrats in northern Sweden in 2022, it still performed better than in earlier elections, partly because of voters known as “Magdamoderaterna”.

The term refers to people who previously voted for right-wing parties, specifically the Moderates, but chose the Social Democrats in the last election. Their switch is generally attributed to support for Magdalena Andersson or opposition to the Moderates’ cooperation with the Sweden Democrats.

“Now the Social Democrats want to keep those voters at any cost,” Youcefi said.

He described the party’s election challenge as a contest for voters in northern Sweden with the Sweden Democrats, in major cities with the Moderates and in suburbs with the Left Party.