AfD top candidate Siegmund in Saxony-Anhalt: Media attention does not reflect electoral potential

If you look at the AfD's top candidate Ulrich Siegmund these days, shortly before the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, the story is quickly told: In social networks such as Tiktok and Instagram, he presents himself as an approachable son-in-law and at the same time as a powerful challenger to the political establishment.

A role that media attributions such as the “Spiegel” title as supposedly “the most dangerous man in Germany” can certainly reinforce. They make Siegmund even bigger and feed the narrative of the exceptionally strong candidate.

But a look at our survey data shows something different. Siegmund's ratings have recently increased and he has now overtaken the CDU candidate Sven Schulze in the direct election question by one percentage point.

But if you also look at Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where a new state parliament will also be elected on September 20th, you can see: the AfD candidate there, Leif-Erik Holm, also achieved values ​​​​of around 30 percent. And that without comparable media support.

In addition, Siegmund's values ​​are still below the party values ​​for the AfD on the Sunday question. It is not the person who draws the party, but the party that draws the staff.