In the election for federal Juso chairmanship in 1977, he was defeated by Klaus Uwe Benneter, who was later suspended from the SPD, and in 1978 he lost to Gerhard Schröder.
In the election for federal Juso chairmanship in 1977, he was defeated by Klaus Uwe Benneter, who was later expelled from the SPD, and in 1978 he lost to Gerhard Schröder.