In the end, it was just a few splashes of paint. At one of her last campaign events before Sunday's elections in the eastern German states of Saxony and Thuringia, a 50-year-old man in Erfurt sprayed red paint on Sahra Wagenknecht and the lectern where she was standing.

The incident ended harmlessly, and Wagenknecht continued the campaign event after security apprehended the man. But it highlighted that she is currently one of Germany's most polarizing political figures.

Who is the 55-year-old whose sudden rise in popularity has her set to achieve double-digit results in the upcoming elections?

A small party with a big impact

Once the face of the socialist Left Party, Wagenknecht is well-known in Germany. But she abandoned the party last year to found a new one that bears her own name: the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), based on a mix of left-leaning economic policies, conservative views on migration and pro-Russian foreign policy initiatives.

The BSW has rapidly overtaken the Left Party, for which support is now well below the 5% mark required for entry into the Bundestag, Germany's federal parliament. Even with few staff and party members, Wagenknecht is on her way to changing the country's party landscape.

The BSW has been particularly well received in eastern Germany. In the last polls before a pair of state elections, the party achieved around 18% approval in Thuringia and 12% in Saxony. This puts it in third place behind the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

A one-woman show

"The BSW has filled a void: a left-wing public welfare policy with a right-wing social policy," political scientist Jan Philipp Thomeczek told German news agency DPA. For example, the BSW advocates for higher pensions and increased minimum wage but puts the brakes on climate protection and accepting asylum-seekers and other migrants.

Wagenknecht considers the long-celebrated "welcome culture" for refugees initiated in 2015 by then-Chancellor Angela Merkelto be "highly problematic." Not because people don't deserve a better life, "but because our country is simply overburdened as a result," Thomeczek said, adding that is a new take for Germany.

Wagenknecht's populist rhetoric against "those at the top" stylizes her as an "advocate for the little people" as well. She calls the ruling parties dangerous, stupid, greedy and hypocritical. One day after the European elections in June, in which the BSW had already received 6.2% of the vote, Wagenknecht said: "We are there for the people who have lost faith in democracy" and went on to say her party is for the "desperate."

BSW, AfD share pro-Russia platforms

Wagenknecht has rejected the idea of a coalition with the far-right AfD but has not ruled out possible cooperation. Her BSW and the AfD align on one particular issue: their pro-Russia policies. The BSW has spoken out against sanctions on Russia and arms exports to Ukraine, urging for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. It's a view that resonates with many voters in eastern Germany, which was allied with the Soviet Union when it was part of the communist German Democratic Republic. 

The fledgling BSW caused a particular scandal during the recent visit to Germany by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in June. During his speech in the Bundestag, Wagenknecht and her party colleagues, together with much of the AfD, demonstratively left for his speech "out of solidarity with all the Ukrainians who want an immediate cease-fire and a negotiated solution," as one party member put it. CDU leader Friedrich Merz later criticized this as "a low point in the culture of our parliament."

A personalized party

Wagenknecht began her political career as a communist and remained one long after German reunification. The politician from Jena in the state of Thuringia long shaped the image and political direction of the Left Party before setting off on her own with the BSW, which became an official German political party in January.

In political scientist Thomeczek's view, the personalization of the new party is unprecedented.

"Everyone knows Sahra Wagenknecht, which is unusual," the University of Potsdam researcher says. "She polarizes. She has many critics, but also many fans." 

Wagenknecht is a frequent guest on German political talk shows, where she is seen to come across as cool, distant, unapproachable and lacking in empathy. German news magazine Der Spiegel even compared her to a "snow queen" last year.

Wagenknecht often criticizes members and supporters of her former party, along with supporters and members of the governing center-left Social Democrats and environmentalist Greens. as "lifestyle leftists" who are less concerned with social issues than questions of consumption and morality.

Critics allege that Wagenknecht and her BSW have a tenuous relationship with the truth. Their claims are often based on distorted facts, abbreviated quotes, and omit crucial details. Wagenknecht has made controversial statements refuted by fact-checkers about the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, for example.

However, these controversies have not appeared to impact the party's popularity. In Thuringia, the BSW is seen to have a good chance of participating in the state government after Sunday's elections.

For Wagenknecht, this is only an intermediate step. She aims to play a major role in the federal election in September 2025—possibly even as her party's candidate for chancellor.

This article was originally published in German.