The incumbent is the current office holder, the "challanger' is the person running against the incumbent
Barack Obama is the incumbent president.
A governor already in office.
The mayor who is in office and running for reelection.
An elected official who is running for another term in office.
The incumbent is the current holder of a political office. To vote "non-incumbent" would mean to vote for the challenger to the incumbent's position.
Re-Election
The phrase incumbent governor would be referring to the current governor. As of June 2014, Terry Branstad of Iowa is America's longest serving governor.
The possessive form for the singular noun incumbent is incumbent's.
The incumbent is the current office holder, the "challanger' is the person running against the incumbent
Barack Obama is the incumbent president.
Barack Obama is the incumbent democratic president.
The incumbent in an election is the current office-holder. For the 2012 Presidential race, the incumbent is Barack Obama.
an incumbent
the incumbent (your mom) the incumbent (your mom)
In politics, the incumbent is the person who holds the seat he/she is running for in order to keep it. The challenger is the person trying to win the seat that the incumbent has.
A holder of an office is called the incumbent. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent.