In a recent poll conducted by Infratest, the governing parties in North Rhine‑Westphalia-the CDU and the Greens-experienced declines in voter favour. The CDU, headed by Minister President Hendrik Wüst, now stands at 35 % support, down 4 percentage points from June 2025. The Greens are at 13 %, a drop of 2 percentage points.
Amid this setback, the SPD has pulled ahead, adding 4 percentage points to reach 20 % for the first time since June 2023. The AfD has also improved slightly, surpassing the Greens and hitting 15 % (+1 ppt), matching its best result from June 2023. The Left suffered a minor decline of 1 percentage point, yet it still reaches 6 %, enough to secure a seat in the state parliament. The FDP, despite a modest gain of 1 percentage point, remains at 4 % and falls short of the 6 % threshold. All other parties combined account for seven % of the vote share.
Government performance remains evenly split: 48 % of respondents are still satisfied with the state government, while 49 % are dissatisfied-a 4‑point increase since June 2025. Satisfaction with Minister President Wüst’s performance has slipped slightly compared with an April 2024 survey: 45 % of respondents feel satisfied (down 2 points) and 38 % feel dissatisfied (up 2 points).
A year before the 2027 state election, the SPD leadership has chosen Jochen Ott as its lead candidate. Most North Rhine‑Westphalians, however, are not familiar with the SPD caucus chair; only one in four eligible voters (24 %) can form an opinion about Ott. Twelve per cent view him as a good candidate, while an equal number express doubt. Among SPD supporters, the majority holds a positive view (26 % versus 5 %), yet even among them, the name of the candidate remains largely unknown.
The NRW trend survey was carried out by Infratest between January 26 and 29, 2026, with a total of 1,164 eligible voters interviewed by phone (683) and online (481).