“We’re going to win!”: A day on the campaign trail with Germany’s far-right AfD in Saxony-Anhalt

A young mother left an Alternative for Germany campaign event in Saxony-Anhalt carrying a blue party cap and an orange seahorse plush toy for her son. She had just been searched by security before Ulrich Siegmund welcomed her with a broad smile and signed her items.

The brief exchange captured the tone of the AfD’s campaign in the former East German state. Supporters approached Siegmund, whom people here call “Uli,” as he moved from one admirer to the next. The candidate’s friendly manner stood alongside the party’s radical political program.

Siegmund is the AfD’s candidate in a regional election scheduled for Sunday. Polls put him above 40%, with the party far ahead of the Christian Democratic Union, which currently governs Saxony-Anhalt.

The event drew supporters of different ages, including the young woman who pointed proudly toward the stroller watched by a man who looked as young as she did. After receiving the signed cap and toy, she left delighted while Siegmund continued greeting attendees. The campaign has made the far-right party the clear favorite as the election approaches.

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We’re going to win!