Overview
- Fresh surveys show a tightened race: Infratest dimap for ARD has the CDU at 28 percent and the Greens at 27 percent, while ZDF’s Politbarometer puts the CDU at 27 percent and the Greens at 25 percent after fieldwork from February 23–26.
- Around one third of voters say they remain undecided, according to the ZDF Politbarometer.
- On the preferred Ministerpräsident question, Özdemir leads Hagel by wide margins, reported around 42–47 percent versus 21–25 percent in ARD and ZDF polling.
- A resurfaced 2018 clip of Manuel Hagel describing a schoolgirl prompted criticism; he called his interview opening "Mist" and said he would not use that wording today, while Özdemir said on TV he was sure Hagel would not phrase it that way now and urged judging by performance.
- Debate continues over the timing and fairness of posting the eight‑year‑old clip, with Tübingen’s mayor Boris Palmer urging restraint, and analysts noting any impact on the polling surge is uncertain as Baden‑Württemberg votes on March 8.