Regev wins internal Likud poll, Edelstein may run for PM

Comprehensive mock primary finds Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev to win top spot on the Likud list should primary race take place.

By GIL HOFFMAN
Updated: DECEMBER 24, 2017 00:55
Likud MK Miri Regev (photo credit: TOVAH LAZAROFF)
Likud MK Miri Regev
(photo credit: TOVAH LAZAROFF)
Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev would win the top spot on the Likud candidates list after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if a primary race were held now among the party’s members, according to a comprehensive mock primary taken by the Likud activist website Hakol Politica.
The mock election lasted two days online and used the same system the party uses for its primaries, allowing each member to vote only once. As in the Likud system, the members were allowed to select 11 candidates. There were 3,271 people who participated in the vote.
“I appreciate the trust and the warmth I receive from the Likud members,” Regev said in response to the vote. “I will continue fighting for our vision and our values, the people of Israel, the Land of Israel, and the Torah of Israel, without fear.”
Regev finished first with 1,610 votes, followed by Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Avi Dichter with 1,569, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan with 1,542, and Transportation Minister Israel Katz with 1,538. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and former minister Gideon Sa’ar were tied with 1,466 votes each.
Edelstein hinted that he could run for prime minister in the post-Netanyahu era, in an interview with CNN broadcast on Friday. When he was asked about his political future, he said: “I am very happy being speaker of the Knesset, and the Israeli people think I am not doing a bad job. If I don’t fail in my present position, the sky is the limit.”
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, who has promised to announce whether he is running for reelection as mayor or entering national politics by the end of the year, finished next with 1,301 votes. The Jerusalem Post has reported that Barkat is likely to break that promise, which he made on many occasions.