It's Merkel 3, Schulz 0 In German Campaign

Shortly after Angela Merkel launched her campaign for a fourth term last winter, the German chancellor appeared to be running out of steam. Her open-door policy toward refugees -- 1.3 million of whom have arrived in the country since 2015 -- was driving some voters into the arms of the far-right nationalist Alternative for Germany party. On the left, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) was reinvigorated by the arrival of Martin Schulz, a former president of the European Parliament in Brussels who barnstormed the country to enthusiastic crowds seeking a fresh face. Today, Merkel is back in form, reinforcing her image as an island of stability between President Vladimir Putin's Russia and an unpredictable Trump.