According to a survey, only one third of SPD members support Scholz as chancellor candidate
Only one third of SPD members consider Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz to be the right candidate for chancellor of their party for the upcoming Bundestag election, according to a survey by Forsa for Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). In this Forsa survey of SPD members, 33 percent of respondents expressed the same sentiment for Defense Minister Boris Pistorius as SPD chancellor candidate. Eight percent wish for Co-Party Chair Lars Klingbeil.
Bundeskanzler Scholz recently claimed the renomination as SPD's chancellor candidate despite the party's and the traffic light coalition's dwindling popularity ratings for months. Many leading members support him in this endeavor. Defense Minister Pistorius denied rumors that he harbors ambitions for a chancellor candidacy in the next year.
Two-thirds of the surveyed SPD members do not believe that the SPD will be the strongest party in 2025, should CDU leader Friedrich Merz be the Union's chancellor candidate. Skepticism is particularly high in Eastern Germany, with 71 percent expressing doubts.
Approximately half of the interviewees expect a result of at least 15 to 19 percent for the SPD in the coming year, 37 percent trust the party with a result between 20 and 25 percent, and slightly more than one in ten members expect more than 25 percent.
Only 55 percent of SPD members are satisfied with Olaf Scholz's work as Bundeskanzler. Co-Party Chair Lars Klingbeil is more popular within the SPD, with 79 percent expressing satisfaction with his work. SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert also enjoys greater popularity among members with 65 percent satisfaction.
Forsa interviewed 1,001 SPD members between July 8 and 12. According to their statements, this sample represents a cross-section of the SPD membership.
Despite only a third of SPD members considering Scholz as their preferred chancellor candidate, Defense Minister Pistorius received support from 33%, placing him closely behind the incumbent. Interestingly, fewer SPD members, only 8%, favor Co-Party Chair Klingbeil for the role.
