The man for the better connection

If Dennis Thering wants to say something that he perceives as important, he likes to raise his voice. The CDU politician then probably unconsciously turns his voice control up and drums the words and sentences at the listeners. Two weeks ago in the meeting room of the CDU party headquarters on Leinpfad, when the parliamentary group leader and CDU state leader Christoph Ploß announced that Thering would also lead the state party from April 3rd. "This is also an important day for Hamburg," the assembled Hamburg journalists were told unmistakably.

Thering probably did not mean that the withdrawal of the Ploß, which is also controversial in his own party, would be of such great importance, but rather that this step could significantly change the future power structure in the Hanseatic city, at least after the state elections in February 2025.

And this feeling is at least shared by the Greens. Faction leader Jennifer Jasberg tweeted immediately after the announcement: "A good day for the @CDU_Hamburg, which may have the chance to re-establish itself as a democratic city party and to address issues beyond gender

The person Ploß, who had accepted the former AfD top functionary Jörn Kruse into the party and who liked to be in the public eye with sharp attacks against the Greens’ “attitude terror”, was considered by the Greens and the SPD to be an exclusion criterion for possible coalition negotiations.

Thering is also a man of clear words, especially when it comes to his favorite area of ​​​​transport policy, but he is much more moderate in appearance and also particularly clear in his differentiation from the AfD. So far, nothing has happened to him that would prevent exploratory talks, and that is what the Greens are all about, who hope for another power option beyond a coalition with the SPD.

In a survey from autumn last year, the Hamburg CDU was 20 percent after only 11.2 percent of the vote in the 2020 general election. Since the federal polls for the Union are also good at the moment and no trend reversal is currently to be expected, the Hamburg CDU with a result of over 20 percent - with the increase in votes being expected mainly from the SPD camp - could ensure that the Greens would actually provide the first mayor with Katharina Fegebank. And even if that didn't work out, a possible party constellation with three parties of relevant faction size would be helpful for the implementation of one's own goals in coalition negotiations. However, it can also happen like in Berlin, where in the end the CDU and SPD could form a government and the Greens have to look on.

Thering, who also wants to be a top candidate in the election campaign, formulates his goals accordingly. This time there will be an election campaign on an equal footing with the SPD and the Greens, he announced. In 2020, public perception focused primarily on the duel between the Green Fegebank and SPD Mayor Peter Tschentscher, and the CDU was unable to position itself either in terms of content or strategy. Ploß, a member of the Bundestag who took over the state presidency after the election, credits himself with having changed these two important points. "The CDU is back," he says.

Now it is time to focus on one person for the public. The impetus came from himself, according to the 37-year-old Ploß, who now wants to hand over the scepter to Thering, who is a year older than him - in order to then advance his career in Berlin. Ploß has received assurances that Thering, who is a friend of his, will again propose him as the top candidate for the 2025 federal elections.

This personality has even made it into a press release. Since the Hamburg CDU is not a hereditary monarchy, the bodies of the state party still have to agree to the personal details. Thering and Ploß have decided among themselves both the top candidate and the early handover of the state presidency, which both refer to with pride about the successful secrecy. However, there are also stories within the party according to which Thering is said to have exerted pressure on the ambitious Ploß; The fact that he gave up his post entirely voluntarily does not really fit into the picture of some party friends, after all Ploß loses his seat on the federal executive board, which is linked to the Hamburg office.

The relief in the Hamburg CDU is noticeable one way or another, as some are now hoping to be in demand again in terms of content. In the course of time there were very strongly separated camps at Ploß. At the same time, the outgoing state chairman is also considered to be unpredictable in terms of content. Quite a few were horrified to foresee an election campaign in which the top candidate would constantly have to catch and relativize statements made by the state chairman. Now the party only speaks with one voice, and if possible it shouldn't just be acoustically loud.