The SPD co-chairman Walter-Borjans has denied that the party leadership has committed to a candidate for Chancellor. Instead, the party chairs will speak to stakeholders and candidates until autumn. A candidate for Chancellor will only be proposed after this process has been completed. The magazine Cicero, on the other hand, had reported that Rolf Mützenich, SPD parliamentary group leader in the Bundestag, was the preferred candidate in the eyes of the two SPD chairmen.

The next Bundestag will be elected in 2021, and will then be responsible for the election of the Chancellor. In the SPD, Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz has long been a popular name when it comes to the candidacy for the Chancellery.