UPDATE 1-Merkel's SPD rival stumbles at election race start
(Adds foreign ministry official on Steinmeier's talks with car workers, paragraph 10)
BERLIN, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier's bid to become Germany's chancellor has quickly run into problems that highlight how hard it will be for him to challenge Angela Merkel while serving as her deputy.
Steinmeier won the Social Democratic Party's (SPD) backing in September to take on the chancellor in next year's federal election, but he is struggling to overcome party divisions and outshine cabinet colleagues during the financial crisis.
Support for the SPD is mired near record lows and opinion polls show Steinmeier trailing a long way behind Merkel, who leads an uneasy coalition grouping the SPD, her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and a sister party.
A poll released at the weekend showed 54 percent of Germans would choose Merkel for a second term as chancellor in a direct vote, and Steinmeier would win only 31 percent.
"Steinmeier's in a conundrum," Gerd Langguth, a political scientist at Bonn University, said. "He must do something to set himself apart."
Steinmeier, 52, tried to shake things up last week, after coming under criticism for remaining quiet on the financial crisis -- a silence which earned him the nickname "invisible candidate" in the German press.
As Merkel was preparing to travel to Washington to discuss a response to the crisis with other world leaders, he surprised her by producing his own nine-point crisis plan for Europe.
Steinmeier's plan called for European Union cooperation to boost jobs and renewable energy to combat the financial crisis, but it triggered debate about why he had unveiled it without consulting Merkel.
Steinmeier made another solo move shortly afterwards, announcing that he would meet worker representatives of troubled car manufacturers on Monday, the same day that Merkel received officials from carmaker Opel (GM.N).
A foreign ministry official said Steinmeier had planned his meeting well before Merkel had announced hers. But his decision to hold it at the foreign ministry, where he usually receives diplomatic guests, angered conservatives.
JUGGLING ROLES
Steinmeier's actions, and the mixed response they received, have underscored the challenge he faces in the election campaign, during which he will serve as Merkel's deputy but will also seek to differentiate himself as her top rival.
As foreign minister, Steinmeier will also have to try not to create the impression he is encroaching on the territory of SPD colleagues such as Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck who, with Merkel, have led the response to the financial crisis. Continued...
