Overview
- Delegates at an extraordinary party congress in Büdelsdorf elected the Kiel mayor with 93.9% of votes, as he continues in City Hall until April.
- Kämpfer remains the SPD’s lead candidate for the 2027 state election, declaring he wants to be minister-president and seeking a head‑to‑head contest with Daniel Günther.
- He is centering the campaign on practical concerns such as transport, childcare and affordable rents, and in an interview outlined plans including €1 billion per year in social‑housing loans, more education funding and support for public and non‑profit hospitals.
- Delegates backed programmatic motions to bolster industry and to reverse teacher‑position cuts, citing projections of roughly 10,000 teachers missing over the next decade.
- Serpil Midyatli formally handed over the chair but stays as SPD parliamentary leader and federal vice‑chair, Christina Schubert was elected deputy leader, and the party signals a preference for working with the Greens and SSW while keeping the AfD out of government.