Three weeks after sweeping into Germany's national parliament for the first time, an anti-immigration party is poised for a weaker result in an upcoming state election.
Alternative for Germany received almost 13 percent of the vote in a Sept. 24 federal election, making it the third-strongest party in the Bundestag.
A number of members have since left the party, including figurehead Frauke Petry and lawmakers in several state parliaments, with many citing AfD's right-ward drift.
Recent polls predict AfD will take about 7 percent of Sunday's vote in the northern state of Lower-Saxony. It needs 5 percent to get into the state parliament.
About 6.1 million residents are eligible to vote. Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats hope to oust the Social Democrats of Lower-Saxony governor Stephan Weil.
