🇩🇪 Germany: ⬛️ CDU/CSU chancellor candidate for 2021

[palandio]

To add to Amanda's response, I would also say that Bavaria is politically and culturally a (moderate) outlier among German states, arguably more so in the past than now, but the effect is still there. It happens often enough that people from outlying regions climb to the top of their countries, but I would argue that it happens less often than it should going by population and representation, and that if it happens, the leaders usually don't fully embody the politics and culture of their original region. Both Strauß and Stoiber were quite Bavarian in different ways and it arguably diminished their electability outside of Bavaria. Söder, who is from Nuremberg and not from rural Upper Bavaria, is arguably less outlying, but the argument still stands, albeit to a lesser degree.

[palandio]

what are the burning topics for the CSU nowadays? just immigration? when I was young they held dear the protection of the catholic church, paddling children by parents, and other niche things; and were actually ok with some populist economic items more than mainstream CDU and FDP.

Not even immigration anymore.

The 2018 Bavarian Landtag elections showed that while most Bavarian voters don't endorse left-of-center positions on this issue (Greens/SPD/Linke went slightly down from 31.3% to 30.5%), the useless brawls with Merkel drove voters away from the CSU, particularly towards the Free Voters. On the other hand the AfD still got 10.2%, mostly from non-voters, minor right-wing and far-right parties and voters that had left the CSU even before immigration became a hot topic, so it became increasingly clear that for the time being the CSU didn't have the means to push the AfD below 5%.

Altogether the CSU concluded that it was better to relegate the immigration issue to third tier. Additionally Söder and the CSU feared that they were missing political trends on climate change, environmental protection (e.g. insects) and some social issues.