(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel is wading into the race to chose her successor, as polls show Germany’s conservatives at risk of losing their hold on power. 

In her first campaign appearance ahead of the Sept. 26 election, Merkel will seek to bolster Armin Laschet by appearing alongside the head of her Christian Democratic party at a rally in Berlin on Saturday. 

The show of support comes as the CDU becomes increasingly concerned about its prospects. Momentum has shifted to Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and his Social Democrats -- a distant third until recently. The conservative bloc’s lead is down to just one percentage point in a recent voter survey.  

In a closed-door caucus meeting on Thursday, CDU lawmakers openly criticized Laschet’s campaign, which many party officials perceive as too defensive, according to a participant. One CDU lawmaker even questioned whether the 60-year-old is the right candidate. 

Despite low popularity, Laschet was long the clear favorite to succeed Merkel, because support for the conservatives remained strong. The thinking in the party was that enough voters would stay loyal and back Laschet, a consensus-seeking moderate in Merkel’s mold. But after a series of gaffes, the conservative bloc’s support has eroded. 

Merkel, who will step down after 16 years as chancellor following the ballot, is expected to boost the party’s morale at the event and stress Laschet’s experience as premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most-populous state.

The endorsement will be important for Laschet to bolster his claim as Merkel’s rightful heir. While she remains Germany’s most popular politician, it remains to be seen how much sway she’ll have since she’s not on the ticket. 

Markus Soeder will also be at the event, and Laschet will be hoping for full-throated support from the leader of the Bavarian CSU sister party, who has recently criticized the campaign as “sleepy.” Despite higher approval ratings, Soeder lost his bid for the candidacy to Laschet in April. 

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