A recent poll of Likud members found that firebrand legislator Tally Gotliv, who entered the current Knesset at the 25th slot on the ruling party’s slate, would come in first in a non-leadership primary to choose its upcoming electoral slate, edging out current Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana at number two.

Over 140,000 Likud members voted in the last primary election to determine the party slate in 2022. Israel is scheduled to hold elections in October 2026, although if the government fails to pass the 2026 budget by the end of March, the elections will be moved up. No date has been announced for the Likud primary.

Gotliv’s pugnacious approach to politics has made her one of the Knesset’s more recognizable backbenchers and may be responsible for turning her into a rising star within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud. She came in ahead of Justice Minister Yariv Levin (No. 11), with whom she has publicly sparred.

Should she ride her popularity to a top spot in Likud following the election, Gotliv told The Times of Israel in September that she could be “a very good justice minister” who would confront the judiciary.

Netanyahu is reportedly concerned about Gotliv’s rise. According to Channel 12, Netanyahu complained to Levin last month that Gotliv is allegedly costing Likud 3-5 Knesset seats in opinion polls for the next Knesset elections, a report denied by the Prime Minister’s Office.

As reported by the Walla news site, the poll of 1,223 Likud members representing so-called “free votes,” not connected to any voting deals or blocs, was conducted by researchers at Tel Aviv University. The poll has a margin of error of 3.8 percent.

Following Ohana on the list are MK Moshe Saada, Deputy Minister

© The Times of Israel