More than half of candidates standing for local elections in 2026 report that they experience intimidation or abuse during their campaigns, according to figures reported by multiple outlets. Overall, 55% of candidates say they faced abuse or intimidation at some point during the election period.
The reporting also notes an increase from the previous year, when the share was 47%. While the outlets focus on the same headline statistic, they present it within the broader context of campaign safety and candidate welfare, highlighting that the level of reported abuse rises year-on-year. The articles describe the measure as covering intimidation or abuse encountered during campaigning, but they do not provide detailed breakdowns of types of abuse or the specific circumstances in the information provided.
Together, the sources indicate that reported harmful conduct toward local election candidates is increasing, affecting a majority of those running, though the underlying survey or dataset details and further analysis are not included in the excerpts.
