Mayors as gatekeepers? Local responses to the Alternative for Germany

The far right is increasingly gaining power, with its local impact largely shaped by how mainstream actors interpret and respond to it. While research on party strategies is growing, municipal-level dynamics remain underexplored. This article investigates how mayors understand their role in responding to the far right and how these interpretations shape the strategies they pursue. Theoretically, it highlights how local politics can facilitate far-right mainstreaming and normalisation, potentially challenging the cordon sanitaire. Empirically, the study draws on original qualitative data from a focus group with mayors in eastern and western Germany, supplemented by municipal records. The analysis shows that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) employs obstructionist tactics that disrupt local policymaking, political culture, and administration. Mayors’ responses are primarily shaped by their role perception as guardians of democratic norms, which mediates how they constrain or accommodate far-right behaviour. Far-right strategies, party ideology, and party size serve as analytically relevant dimensions that structure interpretation rather than as causal determinants. By foregrounding mayoral role perception as the central lens, the article provides new insights into the interpretative and practical dynamics of local democratic governance and demonstrates the pivotal role of local leadership in addressing far-right challenges.