A German far-right party leads exit polls in one state election and is roughly level in another

BERLIN (AP) — The 

, or AfD, was on track to become the strongest party in a state election for the first time Sunday in the country’s east, and was roughly level with mainstream conservatives in a second vote, exit polls showed.

A new party founded by a prominent leftist was also making an immediate impact, while the parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s unpopular national government were set for weak results.

The exit polls for ARD and ZDF public…