Andy Kainz wants to become mayor of St. Georgen am Längsee

Kainz achieved his fame through the ORF dance show "Dancing Stars." He participated as a professional dancer in the first five seasons and won the show twice: in 2005 alongside actress and singer Marika Lichter, and in the fifth season together with then-ORF presenter Claudia Reiterer. His wife Kelly Kainz is also a successful professional dancer on "Dancing Stars" and has won the show twice as well.

Motivation and self-image

Speaking to the Krone, Kainz explained his motivation for stepping into politics: „Hier bin ich aufgewachsen, hier lebe ich, und hier möchte ich Verantwortung übernehmen und die Zukunft aktiv mitgestalten". He also emphasized that he has been interested in politics since his childhood.

Kainz also outlined his view of the office of mayor in the interview. According to him, he sees the role primarily as one of coordinating and balancing different interests. He said verbatim: „Die echte Politik wird im Parlament in Wien gemacht. Der Bürgermeister ist so etwas wie ein Projektmanager. Er muss für alle Menschen da sein, zuhören, unterschiedliche Interessen zusammenführen und gemeinsame Lösungen finden".

Outlook on the election campaign

He added: „Mich hat fasziniert, wie Entscheidungen das Leben der Menschen beeinflussen und wie viel man auf kommunaler Ebene bewegen kann". With that, he explicitly classified municipal politics as a field in which concrete impacts on citizens can be felt.

For the election campaign, Kainz announced that he would present a detailed election platform together with his team in the autumn. The available sources did not report on specific substantive priorities, possible coalition options, or challengers from other parties in St. Georgen am Längsee.

The municipality of St. Georgen am Längsee is located in northern Carinthia, not far from Hochosterwitz Castle. With the candidacy of the prominent dancer, the SPÖ in the region is connecting a personnel fresh start roughly one year before the vote.

The starting position for the 2027 election thus remains open. Kainz is entering the race as an outsider from the entertainment industry and wants to use his television fame for a political career in his hometown. Until election day, he will continue to work actively as a dance school teacher according to his own statements.