The top candidates for the Brandenburg state election

Before the election - The top candidates for the Brandenburg State Election

For the Brandenburger State Elections, some party leaders are running again. Others were recently elected. Here's an overview:

Dietmar Woidke - Father figure with experience and stamina

Since more than ten years, Dietmar Woidke has been the Chief Minister of Brandenburg. He is running as the SPD's Spitzenkandidat for the third time in the State Elections. The 62-year-old Lausitzer brings a lot of experience. The graduated agricultural engineer was Agriculture Minister, SPD-Faction Leader, Interior Minister, and took over in 2013 from Matthias Platzeck. He remains unfazed by polls - the AfD is ahead of the SPD.

Woidke focuses on his personal card in the campaign as he did five years ago: He is the most well-known regional politician. His "toughest political decision" was rejecting the district reform, his greatest achievement was the settlement of Tesla in Grünheide. Married with one daughter, he enjoys running and is a rock music fan. He once said to farmers, "I can drive a bulldozer, I can milk cows."

Hans-Christoph Berndt - AfD-Faction Leader and right-wing networker

The laboratory scientist has been a member of the Brandenburg State Parliament since 2019. In the following year, he took over the Faction Leadership from Andreas Kalbitz. Berndt is well-connected. He is one of six MPs that the State Constitutional Protection Agency labels as right-wing extremist. He accuses the secret service of being a "Neo-Stasi." In 2015, Berndt founded the Verein Zukunft Heimat, which the Constitutional Protection Agency assesses as right-wing extremist.

The Charité Supervisory Board distanced itself from "xenophobic statements" by the former faculty personnel representative Berndt in 2016. In his parliamentary speeches, he spares no attacks against the other parties. He considers the strategy of excluding the AfD to be a failure. Recently, he said, "I'm also an old leftist who has moved away from that over time." Berndt was born in Bernau in 1956 and is married.

Jan Redmann - CDU career man and travel enthusiast

The lawyer leads the CDU State Parliamentary Group in Brandenburg since 2019 and has been the head of the State Association since 2023. Leading is not new to him - Jan Redmann was the Chairman of the Young Union Brandenburg in 2006. He modernized the Landes-CDU after Michael Stübgen's withdrawal. Redmann aims to take the State Chancellery. He has made it clear with whom he doesn't want to govern: with the Greens.

The 44-year-old Wittstock resident focuses on education and security. Redmann's political ambitions are evident from his membership in the CDU Bundesvorstand. In the party, he is well-connected: With NRW State Chancellor Hendrik Wüst, he once lived in a shared flat. Redmann enjoys sports, "devours" books, and is a travel enthusiast - preferably in "foreign countries." Recently, he made headlines because he drove a drunk E-Scooter and admitted his mistake.

Benjamin Raschke - Returnee and Co-Spitzenkandidat

Since 2019, Benjamin Raschke has been the Co-Spitzenkandidat of the Greens and heads the Landtagsfraktion. The native of Lübben is a returnee: He studied Politics, Philosophy, and Law in Konstanz and came back to the Lausitz. The 41-year-old, who cares about climate, nature, and animal protection as well as law, has been a member of the Greens since 2005. He was Landesvorsitzender and has been an MP since 2014.

Raschke has particularly advocated for more insect protection and more public transportation. He often criticizes the SPD's coalition partner with clear words: "I can only warn against following the AfD's themes," said Raschke, looking at a stricter SPD migration policy. Raschke is the father of two children. He took several weeks of parental leave each in 2017 and 2020.

Antje Toepper - From Researcher to Co-Lead Candidate

The food chemist was born in Ludwigsfelde. After her studies, Antje Toepper worked several years at the Federal Institute for Material Research and Testing. From 2015 to 2022, she was a spokesperson in the Brandenburg Agriculture Ministry. In the Havelland District Council, she was active as the Green faction leader. Since December 2022, Toepper has been Consumer Protection State Secretary in the Brandenburg Social Ministry.

"I have the experience and the Brandenburg perspective," said Toepper before she ran for the lead candidate. The 56-year-old advocates for healthy nutrition without bans and is against a stricter refugee policy. Toepper has two children.

Sebastian Walter - Young Star and Articulate Fighter

Sebastian Walter is also one of the young politicians of the Left at 34 years old. His political career began when he was 14 years old in the Youth Left. At 22, he became the youngest deputy chairman of a Left regional association in the state. Walter initially wanted to become a teacher, but became a union secretary instead - at 26, he was the youngest. Since 2019, he has been a Left state parliamentarian and parliamentary leader, since 2022 co-state leader.

In the state parliament, Walter is among the deputies who speak rhetorically and can speak freely. He sometimes goes beyond the line and is reprimanded for an order call. Facing electoral losses, Walter calls for the renewal of the federal party. Ex-Left politician Sahra Wagenknecht he challenged to a debate: "Then we'll speak plainly." Walter is married and father of a son.

Péter Vida - Self-confident Head of the Free Voters

He wants to bring more common sense to state politics: Péter Vida, lead candidate of BVB/Free Voters. The unmarried 40-year-old lawyer is spokesman for the Free Voters group in the state parliament and is known as a talkative one. Since years, the Landeschef is the face of BVB/Free Voters in Brandenburg, who did well in the communal election. The self-confident deputy is born in Schwedt and has Hungarian roots.

He lives in Bernau in the Barnim district and is represented in the city parliament and the district council. The abolition of road construction contributions in 2019 by the Landtag is considered a major success. Vida advocates for more direct democracy and critically sees the wind energy expansion, for example, due to nature protection. His passion is traveling - for example, to Ukraine, Kosovo, and Greenland.

Robert Crumbach - BSW Chief with a Long SPD History

Ten years ago, Robert Crumbach still wanted to be a Landrat for the SPD in Lower Saxony Stade. Today, he attacks the SPD in Brandenburg with harsh words. The 61-year-old labor judge from Potsdam leads the still young alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) as lead candidate in the state election. Crumbach was born in Heerlen, Netherlands, is widowed since 2018, and has two adult children.

For forty years, Crumbach was a member of the SPD, as he recounts. "The last ten years I have had doubts," Crumbach states. Privately, the BSW-Politician enjoys wandering: His dream is to run from Munich to Venice once again. For now, however, he lacks the time for that.

Zyon Braun - Banking Specialist and FDP State Chairman

Born in Templitz, Braun joined the FDP in 2014. From 2019 to 2021, the Banking Specialist served as State Treasurer of the FDP Brandenburg, and in 2021 he became State Chairman. Since 2023, Braun has been a member of the Federal Executive Committee of the Free Democrats. He wants to lead the FDP back into the state parliament and co-govern after ten years - the polls, however, do not currently show the Liberals in parliament.

A debate-stirring campaign poster features Braun's upper half of his face with a broken pair of glasses and the caption: "No Fear of Confrontation." Braun explains that it's about not letting oneself be intimidated by increased attacks on politicians. The 29-year-old experienced the "Summer Fairy Tale" of the 2006 World Cup as a student and was impressed by Philipp Lahm's goal in the opening game.

Dietmar Woidke, the SPD's Spitzenkandidat for the Brandenburger State Elections, mentioned his experience with farming, stating, "I can drive a bulldozer, I can milk cows."
Hans-Christoph Berndt, the AfD-Faction Leader, faced criticism for xenophobic statements while serving as a faculty representative at Charité.
Jan Redmann, the CDU's head of the State Association, shared his enjoyment of traveling to foreign countries.
Benjamin Raschke, the Greens' Co-Spitzenkandidat, advocated for more insect protection and public transportation.
Antje Toepper, the Greenheidc's Consumer Protection State Secretary, emphasized her experience and Brandenburg perspective.
Sebastian Walter, the Left's parliamentary leader, called for renewal within the federal party and challenged Sahra Wagenknecht to a debate.
Peter Vida, BVB/Free Voters' lead candidate, advocated for more direct democracy and criticized wind energy expansion due to nature protection.
Robert Crumbach, the BSW's lead candidate, shared his passion for wandering and recounted forty years of membership in the SPD.
Zyon Braun, the FDP's State Chairman, launched a campaign poster featuring his upper half with a broken pair of glasses and the caption, "No Fear of Confrontation."
During the Brandenburger State Elections campaign, cows were mentioned as part of Dietmar Woidke's farming background.