Hamburg's First Mayoral Debate Ahead of 2025 Election Ends Without Clear Winner

SPD, Greens, and CDU candidates discuss key city issues in a civil exchange, with no decisive standout in audience polling.

Hamburg's first mayoral debate featured SPD's Peter Tschentscher, Greens' Katharina Fegebank, and CDU's Dennis Thering, focusing on topics like housing, transportation, and public safety.
The event, hosted by the Handelskammer and Hamburger Abendblatt, was marked by a respectful tone, with limited direct confrontations between candidates.
Audience polling after the debate showed no clear winner, with approximately 30% of votes for each candidate, though the voting methodology raised questions about its reliability.
Tschentscher and Fegebank emphasized the stability of their SPD-Green coalition, while Thering criticized their handling of issues like bureaucracy and infrastructure management.
Current polls suggest the SPD and Greens are well-positioned to maintain their coalition, with the SPD at 31%, Greens at 22%, and CDU trailing at 17%.