In Germany, there are an estimated 200,000 seats to be filled at the local level in city and municipal councils, city council assemblies, and district councils. It is of fundamental importance for the functioning of local democracy that a sufficient number of candidates can be found for these mandates. Against this background, the recruitment potential of political parties and municipal voters’ associations with regard to candidates for mandates at the local level is examined comparatively. The data basis is a representative population survey conducted as part of the 2017 German Party Membership Study. It is shown that a good quarter of the population can in principle be won over to a candidacy at the municipal level. Ten percent would only run for a party, six percent only for a municipal voters’ association and a further ten percent for both political groups. These three candidate potentials each have a specific profile regarding their socio-structural composition and their political attitudes.