An officeholder who is seeking reelection is called what?

• A. Challenger
• B. Incumbent
• C. Nominee
• D. Elector

Answer: (B)

The term for the officeholder who is seeking reelection is incumbent. An incumbent is the person currently holding the office, and when they run again to win another term, they’re described as seeking reelection as the incumbent. A challenger, in contrast, is someone who runs against the incumbent. A nominee is the candidate chosen by a party to run in an election and can be either an incumbent or a challenger, depending on the situation. An elector is a member of the Electoral College, not a candidate. So, in this scenario, the officeholder who wants another term is the incumbent.