Ahead of the Christian Democrats’ leadership election in 2018, Groden-Kranich publicly endorsed Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to succeed Angela Merkel as the party's chair. In 2019, she joined 14 members of her parliamentary group who, in an open letter, called for the party to rally around Merkel and Kramp-Karrenbauer amid criticism voiced by conservatives Friedrich Merz and Roland Koch.