A new Epinion poll for DR and Altinget, published August 15, shows SF leader Pia Olsen Dyhr’s personal popularity falling from +22 to +8 over the summer. Her party still polls slightly above its March 2026 election result.
DR reports that Dyhr, who is economy and interior minister, has lost her position as the country’s most popular top politician. Epinion asks voters whether they view a named politician positively or negatively, and scores the difference between the two groups.
In the new measurement, Dyhr is overtaken by several colleagues and rivals, among them Conservative leader Mona Juul and her own SF colleague Jacob Mark. Until the summer, she had consistently topped Epinion’s rankings for DR and Altinget, during a period when SF became the largest party at the European elections and returned to government.
Support for the party itself has so far held up. SF stands at 12.1 percent in the latest Epinion voting-intention poll, about half a percentage point above its result at the March 2026 election.
Analyst points to adviser controversy
DR’s political analyst Rikke Gjøl Mansø connects the sudden drop to the row over Dyhr’s hiring of Thomas Nystrøm as her special adviser. Per Mansø, the case was damaging because it raised questions about Dyhr’s own judgment in a MeToo-related matter that SF members take seriously.
Dyhr had dismissed Nystrøm from an SF post in 2020 after accusations of harassment and inappropriate behavior. According to Berlingske, Politiken first revealed the new appointment in June 2026, prompting public criticism from SF figures including Frederiksberg councillor Lotte Kofoed, one of the women who had accused him.
The criticism peaked when Kofoed traveled to Folkemødet on Bornholm to confront her own party leader. As reported by Politiken, Dyhr defended the decision at the festival in Allinge and initially insisted on keeping Nystrøm in the job.
Nordjyske reports that Nystrøm stepped down on June 13, saying the debate about his hiring was overshadowing SF’s work. Criticism had also come from SF Youth and local politicians, part of the internal revolt over the appointment.
Documents obtained through an access-to-information request, reported by BT, show that Nystrøm was formally employed at the Economy and Interior Ministry from June 9 to July 31, 2026. According to the same response, he receives no severance payment.
Mansø notes that Dyhr has not apologized and has said she will not do so, which in the analyst’s assessment leaves the case unresolved. She expects unanswered questions when Dyhr meets the press at SF’s summer group meeting next week.
DR states that it has repeatedly sought an interview with SF’s political spokesperson, Sigurd Agersnap, about the poll without success. The party’s press office informed DR on Saturday that SF will not comment on the story.
