With varied electoral success for anti-immigration parties across Western Europe, Sweden is often held as an example where anti-immigration parties have been less successful. This have caught the interest of many scientists around the world and have recently developed theories on a subnational level when testing Sweden’s municipalities, on why they have failed here but not in other countries. But in the election to 2010, Sweden now joins the rest of the Western-European countries in having an anti-immigrations party in the parliament.

This paper has tested three theories on a Municipality that has shown evident support for the Sweden democrats, both in the local and the national election. This is done with a qualitative approach, made up from interviews with the local established parties. Results show that the success of the Sweden democrats are not explained by the local presence in the city council, where they make no real impressions and rarely, or never, turns in propositions.  There is also no real support for the theory that the established parties issue strategy has an effect on the success or failure for the anti-immigration party.