Ulrich Thoden

Thoden was already politically active during his school days at the Ratsgymnasium in Münster, for example by participating in demonstrations against the Gulf War in 1991.^[3] In 2008, he joined the SPD.^[3] In 2016 applied within the party to succeed Münster SPD MP Christoph Strässer [de].^[4] In 2018, he joined Die Linke, where he was parliamentary group spokesman for the Münster council group from 2020 to 2024. In 2022, he became deputy state spokesperson for The Left Party in North Rhine-Westphalia and in 2023, delegate for North Rhine-Westphalia to the party council. ^[1]

On 14 December 2024, a general meeting was held, at which Thoden was elected as the direct candidate in Steinfurt III.^[5][6] At the state representative meeting of Die Linke NRW on 11 January 2025, it was announced that he would be running for the 2025 German federal election for the state list position 4.^[7] In his constituency, Die Linke received 6.0% for the first vote and 6.4% for the second vote.^[8]

In addition to his political work, Thoden is active in the Education and Science Union (GEW) . In 2017, he was elected chairman of the GEW Münster city association for the first time.^[9][10] In this role, he advocates for better working conditions in the education sector and, in connection with the "Education Construction Site" campaign, criticized unequal pay for teachers and called for more staff through better pay and better working conditions.^[11]