Gotliv jumps to the top while senior ministers slide: Likud members' survey
A survey of "free voters," who represent about half of the party's membership, reveals the current mood. The Knesset Speaker leads the pack, followed by MKs Gotliv, Saada, and Bismuth. The survey also highlights who members want to see in Netanyahu's reserved slots.
The political battles within the Likud are far from over, as the district election system may still reach the District Court. With eight spots reserved for Benjamin Netanyahu and the district structure, there are only about 15 realistic spots available for incumbent MKs and ministers according to current polling.
A survey conducted among Likud members considered "free voters"—those not part of organized influence groups known as "deals"—reveals the prevailing mood in the ruling party. As these voters represent roughly half of the party's membership, the results of the survey, conducted over two days among 3,400 members, are highly significant.
According to the survey obtained by "Ha-Yom," Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana holds the top spot. However, the most striking trend is the surge of three Knesset members: Tally Gotliv, Moshe Saada, and Boaz Bismuth.
Tally Gotliv has emerged as the top-ranked woman among free voters, securing fourth place after Netanyahu, Ohana, and a reserved slot. It is noted that once organized "deals" enter the picture, her position may shift in favor of those backed by influence groups.
Following her are Moshe Saada and Bismuth. The data suggests that MKs are currently outpacing ministers who rely on organized support, a dynamic that will likely shift during the primaries. Prominent ministers such as Yariv Levin, Miri Regev, Eli Cohen, and Shlomo Karhi appear to be slipping in this specific ranking. Minister Amichai Chikli, who was reserved by Netanyahu in the last election, has also joined the top tier. Conversely, David Bitan and Haim Katz rank at the end of the list, and Minister Idit Silman has disappeared entirely from the top 35.
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Support for reserved slots
The survey also gauged whom free members would like to see in the slots reserved by the Prime Minister. Yoseph Haddad leads with 78%, followed by Ofer Winter (70%), Itzik Bonzel (64%), and Eli Ohana (23%).
Netanyahu holds eight reserved spots on the list. While he is committed to a reservation for Gideon Sa'ar, the remaining names are not expected to be revealed until the primaries conclude. Other names mentioned as potential candidates include Netaeli Sham-Tov, Yigal Brand, Talik Gvili, and Gal Hirsch.
