# Saalfeld-Rudolstadt I

Saalfeld-Rudolstadt I is an electoral constituency (German: Wahlkreis) represented in the Landtag of Thuringia. It elects one member via first-past-the-post voting. Under the current constituency numbering system, it is designated as constituency 28. It covers the western part of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt.
Saalfeld-Rudolstadt I was created for the 1994 state election. Originally named Schwarzakreis I, it was renamed after the 1994 election. Since 2024, it has been represented by Thomas Benninghaus of Alternative for Germany (AfD).

## Geography

As of the 2019 state election, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt I covers the western part of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, specifically the municipalities of Allendorf, Bad Blankenburg, Bechstedt, Cursdorf, Deesbach, Döschnitz, Katzhütte, Königsee, Meura, Rohrbach, Rudolstadt (excluding Ammelstädt, Breitenherda, Eschdorf, Geitersdorf, Haufeld, Heilsberg, Milbitz, Remda, Sundremda, Teichel, Teichröda, and Treppendorf), Saalfeld/Saale (only Wittgendorf), Schwarzatal, Schwarzburg, Sitzendorf, and Unterweißbach.

## Members

The constituency was held by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from its creation in 1994 until 2014, during which time it was represented by Gert Wunderlich (1994–2004), Gerhard Günther (2004–2014), and Herbert Wirkner (2014–2019).
Since 2019, it is held by Alternative for Germany, initially represented by Karlheinz Frosch, and following the 2024 election by Thomas Benninghaus.
| Election | Member | Party | % |
| 1994 | Gert Wunderlich | CDU | 42.0 |
| 1999 | Gert Wunderlich | CDU | 49.3 |
| 2004 | Gerhard Günther | CDU | 44.0 |
| 2009 | Gerhard Günther | CDU | 36.4 |
| 2014 | Herbert Wirkner | CDU | 38.8 |
| 2019 | Karlheinz Frosch | AfD | 29.1 |
| 2024 | Thomas Benninghaus | AfD | 37.5 |

## Election results
### 2024 election

State election (2024): Saalfeld-Rudolstadt I :
| Notes: | Notes: | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
| | AfD | Thomas Benninghaus | Thomas Benninghaus | 10,304 | 37.5 | 8.4 | 10,242 | 37.0 | 8.5 |
| | CDU | Martin Friedrich | Martin Friedrich | 8,469 | 30.9 | 8.3 | 5,722 | 20.7 | 0.8 |
| | BSW | Rainer Kräuter | Rainer Kräuter | 5,056 | 18.4 | | 5,173 | 18.7 | |
| | Left | Daniel Starost | Daniel Starost | 2,771 | 10.1 | 12.5 | 3,209 | 11.6 | 8.3 |
| | SPD | | | | | | 1,309 | 4.7 | 2.5 |
| | Greens | | | | | | 455 | 1.6 | 1.5 |
| | FDP | Henry Götze | Henry Götze | 508 | 1.9 | 3.8 | 301 | 1.1 | 3.9 |
| | Independent | Harald Karlheinz Frosch | Harald Karlheinz Frosch | 335 | 1.2 | | | | |
| | Values | | | | | | 346 | 1.2 | |
| | APT | | | | | | 296 | 1.1 | 0.1 |
| | FW | | | | | | 252 | 0.9 | |
| | Familie | | | | | | 128 | 0.5 | |
| | BD | | | | | | 118 | 0.4 | |
| | Pirates | | | | | | 80 | 0.3 | |
| | ÖDP | | | | | | 39 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| | MLPD | | | | | | 30 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 538 | | | 281 | | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 27,443 | | | 27,700 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,981 | 72.9 | 7.8 | | | |
| | AfD hold | AfD hold | Majority | 1,835 | 6.6 | 0.4 | | | |

### 2019 election

State election (2019): Saalfeld-Rudolstadt I :
| Notes: | Notes: | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
| | AfD | Karlheinz Frosch | Karlheinz Frosch | 7,183 | 29.1 | | 7,041 | 28.5 | 16.2 |
| | Left | Rainer Kräuter | Rainer Kräuter | 5,654 | 22.9 | 8.3 | 7,628 | 30.8 | 0.7 |
| | CDU | N Herbert Wirkner | N Herbert Wirkner | 5,572 | 22.6 | 16.2 | 4,934 | 19.9 | 11.4 |
| | SPD | Oliver Weder | Oliver Weder | 3,121 | 12.6 | 1.3 | 1,771 | 7.2 | 4.4 |
| | FDP | Henry Götze | Henry Götze | 1,412 | 5.7 | 0.8 | 1,229 | 5.0 | 2.3 |
| | Greens | Frank Andreas Bock | Frank Andreas Bock | 868 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 767 | 3.1 | 1.0 |
| | Free Voters | Ralf Thun | Ralf Thun | 760 | 3.1 | | | | |
| | MLPD | Reiner Dworschak | Reiner Dworschak | 116 | 0.5 | | 87 | 0.4 | |
| | List-only parties | | | | | | 1,375 | 5.6 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 361 | | | 302 | | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 24,686 | | | 24,745 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,047 | 65.1 | 13.9 | | | |
| | AfD gain from CDU | AfD gain from CDU | Majority | 1,529 | 6.2 | | | | |

### 2014 election

State election (2014): Saalfeld-Rudolstadt I :
| Notes: | Notes: | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
| | CDU | Herbert Wirkner | Herbert Wirkner | 7,829 | 38.8 | 2.4 | 6,452 | 31.3 | 0.4 |
| | Left | Rainer Kräuter | Rainer Kräuter | 6,288 | 31.2 | 0.8 | 6,187 | 30.1 | 0.1 |
| | AfD | | | | | | 2,534 | 12.3 | |
| | SPD | Marion Rosin | Marion Rosin | 2,800 | 13.9 | 0.6 | 2,394 | 11.6 | 5.2 |
| | NPD | Mandy Meinhardt | Mandy Meinhardt | 1,145 | 5.7 | 0.7 | 928 | 4.5 | 1.4 |
| | Greens | Rainer Wernicke | Rainer Wernicke | 1,124 | 5.6 | 0.3 | 851 | 4.1 | 0.4 |
| | FDP | Marian Koppe | Marian Koppe | 996 | 4.9 | 2.7 | 557 | 2.7 | 4.3 |
| | List-only parties | | | | | | 679 | 3.3 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 859 | | | 459 | | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 20,182 | | | 20,582 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,041 | 51.2 | 5.0 | | | |
| | CDU hold | CDU hold | Majority | 1,541 | 7.6 | 1.6 | | | |

### 2009 election

State election (2009): Saalfeld-Rudolstadt I :
| Notes: | Notes: | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
| | CDU | Y Gerhard Günther | Y Gerhard Günther | 8,871 | 36.4 | 7.6 | 7,743 | 31.7 | 11.3 |
| | Left | Andreas Grünschneder | Andreas Grünschneder | 7,401 | 30.4 | 2.0 | 7,318 | 30.0 | 3.3 |
| | SPD | Daniel Karakaschew | Daniel Karakaschew | 3,230 | 13.3 | 3.8 | 4,107 | 16.8 | 2.6 |
| | FDP | Marian Koppe | Marian Koppe | 1,847 | 7.6 | 1.1 | 1,707 | 7.0 | 3.5 |
| | NPD | Steffen Richter | Steffen Richter | 1,549 | 6.4 | | 1,433 | 5.9 | 3.1 |
| | Greens | Michael Bergmann | Michael Bergmann | 1,445 | 5.9 | | 1,091 | 4.5 | 1.3 |
| | List-only parties | | | | | | 1,018 | 4.2 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 481 | | | 407 | | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 24,343 | | | 24,417 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,824 | 56.2 | 0.5 | | | |
| | CDU hold | CDU hold | Majority | 1,470 | 6.0 | 5.6 | | | |

### 2004 election

State election (2004): Saalfeld-Rudolstadt I :
| Notes: | Notes: | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
| | CDU | Gerhard Günther | Gerhard Günther | 10,657 | 44.0 | 5.0 | 10,566 | 43.0 | 7.5 |
| | PDS | Hubert Krawczyk | Hubert Krawczyk | 7,860 | 32.4 | 10.8 | 6,564 | 26.7 | 6.5 |
| | SPD | Hans-Heinrich Tschoepke | Hans-Heinrich Tschoepke | 4,154 | 17.1 | 6.9 | 3,486 | 14.2 | 4.7 |
| | FDP | Volker Weber | Volker Weber | 1,577 | 6.5 | 4.1 | 856 | 3.5 | 2.3 |
| | List-only parties | | | | | | 3,088 | 12.6 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,547 | | | 1,235 | | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 24,248 | | | 24,560 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,795 | 55.7 | 6.3 | | | |
| | CDU hold | CDU hold | Majority | 2,797 | 11.6 | 13.4 | | | |

### 1999 election

State election (1999): Saalfeld-Rudolstadt I :
| Notes: | Notes: | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
| | CDU | Y Gert Wunderlich | Y Gert Wunderlich | 14,856 | 49.3 | 7.2 | 15,356 | 50.7 | 7.9 |
| | SPD | Gerhard Botz | Gerhard Botz | 7,193 | 23.8 | 8.5 | 5,710 | 18.8 | 10.9 |
| | PDS | Hubert Krawczyk | Hubert Krawczyk | 6,487 | 21.5 | 5.3 | 6,093 | 20.1 | 3.7 |
| | REP | Friedhard Beck | Friedhard Beck | 920 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 252 | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| | FDP | Hans-Helmut Lawatsch | Hans-Helmut Lawatsch | 704 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 354 | 1.2 | 2.0 |
| | List-only parties | | | | | | 2,543 | 8.4 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 609 | | | 461 | | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 30,160 | | | 30,308 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,769 | 61.8 | 12.9 | | | |
| | CDU hold | CDU hold | Majority | 7,663 | 25.5 | 15.7 | | | |

### 1994 election

State election (1994): Schwarzakreis I :
| Notes: | Notes: | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
| | CDU | Gert Wunderlich | Gert Wunderlich | 15,265 | 42.0 | | 15,631 | 42.8 | |
| | SPD | | | 11,744 | 32.3 | | 10,875 | 29.8 | |
| | PDS | | | 5,893 | 16.2 | | 6,006 | 16.4 | |
| | Greens | | | 1,664 | 4.6 | | 1,439 | 3.9 | |
| | FDP | | | 1,050 | 2.9 | | 1,185 | 3.2 | |
| | REP | | | 705 | 1.9 | | 690 | 1.9 | |
| | List-only parties | | | | | | 727 | 2.0 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,093 | | | 861 | | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 36,321 | | | 36,553 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,414 | 74.6 | | | | |
| | CDU win new seat | CDU win new seat | Majority | 3,521 | 9.7 | | | | |