Overview
- Delegates in Heidelberg re-elected Manuel Hagel as state chair with 96.5% of valid votes, launching the decisive stage of the campaign.
- The party scheduled board elections and a vote on its election program for Saturday to formalize the path to the Landtag election.
- Hagel, the CDU’s Spitzenkandidat, coupled a pro-employer message with sharp criticism of SPD labor policy, including remarks directed at Bärbel Bas.
- He identified the AfD as the main rival and ruled out cooperation, while previewing proposals such as a new AI-focused state university, research clusters, a Landesdatencloud, and scrapping master-craftsperson fees.
- Recent polls reported by AFP put the CDU at roughly 29–31% ahead of the AfD at 20–21%, with Cem Özdemir, Andreas Stoch, Hans-Ulrich Rülke and Kim Sophie Bohnen leading their parties.