Deggendorf, Germany (CNN): One week before regional elections in Bavaria, Katrin Ebner-Steiner campaigns with an infectious smile, handing out leaflets to voters with slogans such as “Protect Our Wives and Daughters” or “Money for Pensioners Not Illegal Migrants.”
The peppy, 39-year-old mother of four is one of the leading candidates for the far-right, anti-immigration party, Alternative for Germany or AfD. In the national election last year, more than 19% of voters in her constituency of Deggendorf voted for the AfD — its biggest gain in west Germany. One local media outlet called her the “friendly face of populism,” a phrase that makes her laugh.