CDU state leaders apparently support Merz out of necessity
CDU-Chairman Merz does not get along well with all the state chairs of his party. One of them reportedly said that Merz is an authentic unsympathetic figure who even conservatives find off-putting. Yet, it appears that the state chairs are rallying behind him - for pragmatic reasons.
According to a report in "Spiegel" magazine, the majority of CDU state organizations support Merz's chancellor candidacy. The magazine interviewed numerous state chairs of the party, who all reportedly said in private conversations that they would endorse Merz.
The interviewed state chairs support Merz despite having significant doubts about his suitability as a candidate. The justification for their support was primarily the fear of an internal power struggle that could tear the CDU apart.
Relationships like those in 2021, when the then CDU chairman Armin Laschet and CSU chief Markus Söder fought for the chancellor candidacy, should not be repeated under any circumstances. Supporters of North Rhine-Westphalia Minister President Hendrik Wüst also support a Merz candidacy, warning against a self-destruction of the Union.
A candidate like Söder, it was said sensibly by several state chairs, is not acceptable to the party base - they have not forgiven him for his maneuvers against Laschet during the 2021 campaign, even if he is considered a better campaigner than Merz. And Wüst is too unknown, coalitions with the Greens, and is still seen as an Angela Merkel loyalist. Merz, on the other hand, can credibly embody the break with her era.
"I have made peace with Merz," quotes the "Spiegel" one of the 15 CDU state chairs, "I will not make a fuss." He has accepted his fate. Merz will not be a workhorse in the campaign but rather a ballast. Merz is an authentic unsympathetic figure who even conservatives find off-putting. The "Spiegel" also quotes a CDU politician with the words that Merz stands for an outdated, authoritarian leadership style. He is respected but not loved.
In contrast to his potential competitors, Merz does not come across as particularly approachable. While Söder and Wüst regularly maintain contact with members, Merz only phones when something needs to be clarified. He often comes across as agitated, and a phone call rarely lasts longer than five minutes.
Some state chairs have already publicly spoken out for Merz in the past. So, the Saxon Minister President Michael Kretschmer said in the "Bild" newspaper in December 2023 that Merz has made "excellent work" as party chairman for two years and called him the "logical chancellor candidate." Baden-Württemberg's state leader Manuel Hagel said in May: "Friedrich Merz is the right candidate." He fits the times, has ideas, and delivers.
Armin Laschet, the former CDU chairman, had strained relations with some state chairs due to his perceived unsympathetic nature, as reported by one of them. Michael Kretschmer, the Saxon Minister President, publicly endorsed Friedrich Merz as the "logical chancellor candidate" in December 2023, praising his leadership and vision. Despite doubts about Merz's suitability, state chairs are rallying behind him to avoid an internal power struggle, similar to the one between Laschet and CSU chief Markus Söder in 2021. The state chair of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, is also a supporter of Merz's candidacy, warning against the potential self-destruction of the Union.
