Three months before the federal election scheduled for February 23rd, the Hamburg Greens have chosen their candidates for the state list. Katharina Beck is once again running as the top candidate. A general meeting in the Wilhelmsburg community center voted the 42-year-old economics and finance expert into first place with almost 92 percent of the votes.
Beck had already bought his ticket to Berlin from first place on the state list in the last federal election in 2021. There she is, among other things, financial policy spokesperson for the Greens and deputy chairwoman of the Bundestag’s finance committee.
Long-time Hamburg Justice Senator Till Steffen, who entered the Bundestag in 2021 via the Eimsbüttel direct mandate, was elected in second place. With over 94 percent of the votes, the 51-year-old received even higher approval than Beck. He also stood for election unopposed.
Candidacy for the promising third place on the list
Emilia “Milla” Fester, who was the youngest member of the Bundestag in 2021, and Linda Heitmann from Altona fought a battle for third place. It was only in the third round of voting that the 42-year-old Heitmann narrowly prevailed against her 26-year-old competitor with 138 to 134 votes. She is again a direct candidate in Altona, where she won the mandate in 2021.
Fester finally secured fourth place on the state list in another vote against former Hamburg Bundestag member Manuel Sarrazin. Sarrazin, who missed re-entry in the last federal election in 2021 after 13 years in parliament, ultimately ended up in sixth place on the ten-place state list.
Beck promotes tax justice and equal opportunities
In her election campaign, she wanted to spread confidence and make it clear to people “that this state and this society are all of us,” said Beck in her application speech. In order for the Greens to become the strongest force in the federal election and a week later in the state election in Hamburg, they are “really keen to do a double campaign.”
Already in this legislature she advocated for more tax justice, which is a prerequisite for a functioning democracy – “because it is only wonderful if everyone has the same opportunities.” The assets of the super-rich must be “addressed” and the inheritance tax and debt brake must be reformed “so that we can invest in our infrastructure – in our assets of tomorrow.”
Steffen promises fight against “dark side of power”
Steffen placed the fight against the polarization fueled by the election of Donald Trump as the new US President and the rise of right-wing national parties such as the AfD at the center of his speech. With their involvement in Trump’s team, men like tech billionaire Elon Musk have “switched to the dark side of power and want to teach us fear,” he warned. The rule of law and democracy must be defended.
“The poison of division that the AfD is spreading is already having an effect.” That’s why he joined the initiative of 113 members of the Bundestag who want to have the party banned. He wants to continue working on this in the next legislature. “I will not let up until this party has been examined by the Federal Constitutional Court,” promised Steffen.
Green state leaders see tailwind for their party after traffic lights are turned off
The co-state chairman Leon Alam sees his party united and with a lot of tailwind after the traffic lights in Berlin and Robert Habeck’s election as candidate for chancellor. “15,000 new members since the beginning of November, how crazy is that?” he asked to applause from the general meeting. “We are ready for this election campaign.”
In 2021, the Greens got 23.7 percent in the federal election in Hamburg – as the second strongest force behind the SPD (33.4 percent), but well ahead of the CDU (17.9). “It is clear to us: we want to and can get back there,” explained Alam and co-chair Maryam Blumenthal.
