Ulf Kämpfer wins 94.9% SPD vote to challenge Daniel Günther in Schleswig-Holstein

Nomination and vote in Lübeck

SPD delegates in Schleswig-Holstein selected Ulf Kämpfer as their lead candidate for the upcoming state parliamentary election. At the party's state electoral conference held in Lübeck, the 54-year-old state party chairman won 94.9% of the votes cast by nearly 200 delegates. The vote formally places Kämpfer at the head of the Social Democratic campaign to challenge the current coalition government of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Greens. The next state election in Schleswig-Holstein is scheduled for 18 April 2027. Following the vote, Kämpfer accepted the nomination and called on party members to mobilize for the campaign across the northernmost state.

Let us fight, for the SPD, for Schleswig-Holstein.

Criticism of the CDU-led government

During his candidacy speech, Kämpfer targeted incumbent Minister-President Daniel Günther, arguing that personal popularity alone is insufficient to govern effectively. He accused the CDU leader of basking in his own public approval rather than addressing pressing structural problems. Kämpfer argued that after a decade in opposition, the SPD must take charge of issues that have been neglected under the current administration. He described the coalition's policy approach as a lenient continuation of the status quo that fails to respond to regional challenges.

I do not want to be the most popular minister-president, I want to be the most successful minister-president.

Policy priorities and the electoral list

Outlining his political program, Kämpfer stated that genuine change requires political contestation and determined effort. He identified affordable housing and lower everyday living costs as central priorities for a prospective SPD-led government. Education policy should return to the primary spot on the political agenda, alongside measures to resolve transport congestion across both road and rail networks. Beyond the top spot, the conference voted in a single block on the subsequent candidate list. Serpil Midyatli, the SPD parliamentary group leader in the state legislature and federal party deputy, took the second position. The list also includes state lawmakers Niclas Dürbrook, Sophia Schiebe, Kianusch Stender, Beate Raudies, and Martin Ha, assembling regional representation and specialized expertise.

I want a government that takes care of affordable housing and an affordable everyday life, makes education the number one topic again, and ends the congestion on rail and road.

Shifting poll numbers and opposition dynamics

Kämpfer pointed to recent public opinion surveys as evidence that the CDU-led administration is politically vulnerable ahead of the 2027 vote. Survey data indicated that the CDU has dropped 16% in support since the last state election in 2022. A July survey conducted by the Insa institute on behalf of Bild recorded CDU support at 27%, representing a drop of twelve percentage points compared to an Insa poll conducted in early 2025. Although the CDU remained the strongest party in that survey, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) climbed to second place with 18%, a rise of four points for a party that failed to pass the five percent electoral threshold in 2022. The Greens placed third at 17%, also gaining four points, as Kämpfer argued that existing policies offer an inadequate response to the rise of the AfD.