Even their performance in Schleswig-Holstein was a portent.
For the first time since the end of 2014, the AfD did not manage to re-enter a state parliament.
That was possible on Sunday in North Rhine-Westphalia - but with an embarrassing result just above the five percent hurdle.
With mock good humor, party leader Tino Chrupalla managed to sugarcoat the miserable result in the largest federal state on the evening of the election.
But he was unable to prevent the next power struggle in the notoriously divided party after the resignation of his former co-chairman Meuthen.
The call from the board of directors for Chrupalla not to run again for the presidency falls on fertile ground in the AfD.
At least since the mediocre result in the federal elections, which gave the AfD a double-digit result simply because of the strong result in eastern Germany, displeasure with Chrupalla has grown steadily, especially in the western associations.
Most recently, it was the positioning of the AfD as a “peace party” in the spirit of Putin, which he pushed, that angered many there.
In ten elections in a row, the AfD lost votes during Chrupalla's term of office, is the strong argument of his critics for his departure.
As his successor, the right-wing extremist Björn Höcke is lurking for his chance to take over the AfD as the sole leader.
It would be the finale of a consistent radicalization towards an NPD 2.0.