Merkel Goes to Bat for Laschet as Poll Slump Continues
- Chancellor says her heart ‘very much in it’ on campaign trail
- Five-point gap is biggest SPD advantage yet in Insa’s polling
Angela Merkel and Armin Laschet at a news conference after visiting flood-hit regions in Hagen, Germany on Sept. 5.
Photographer: Bernd Lauter/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Chancellor Angela Merkel waded into the German election campaign with a ringing endorsement of Armin Laschet after another poll showed the Social Democrats extending their lead over her conservatives to five percentage points.
Three weeks before the Sept. 26 vote, Merkel and Laschet visited flood-hit areas of his home state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Sunday, and the outgoing German leader expressed what may be her strongest backing yet for the CDU/CSU candidate to replace her.