Lacson camp buoyed by steady rise in survey: Tightest presidential race since 1992 shaping up to be anybody’s ballgame

The campaign team of Senator Panfilo Lacson is upbeat about his chances in the 2022 elections, which is shaping up to be the tightest presidential derby in 30 years.

The third quarter voter preference survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed Lacson in sixth place among seven preferred candidates for president. He received an eight percent rating, which was double what he got in the previous survey.

Ashley Acedillo, Lacson’s spokesperson, said that with the exception of Joseph Estrada, history shows that presidential candidates who enjoyed an early lead in voter preference surveys eventually lost.

“This is the tightest race since 1992. The highest rating garnered by a possible candidate was 21 percent and the lowest rating was eight percent. This shows that this is still anybody’s ball game. Everything can change in the next one or two surveys,” Acedillo said.

Former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. got 21 percent, followed by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte with 20 percent, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno with 18 percent, Senator Manny Pacquiao with 15 percent and Vice President Leni Robredo with 14 percent.

SWS conducted the survey from September 12 to 16 with 1,200 respondents nationwide. The results were released on September 30.

All politikos included in the survey have filed their candidacies with the exception of Duterte, who decided to seek reelection. The ruling PDP-Laban nominated Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa as its standard bearer, a move seen to buy the party time to convince Duterte to seek the presidency before the deadline for substitution of candidates on November 15.

Acedillo said the survey results showed Lacson steadily gaining ground among voters.

“Ping Lacson is the biggest gainer while Sara’s rating went down by nine percent. The rating of Marcos and Isko have statistically plateaued. The steady increase in Lacson’s numbers for the past three surveys is a positive development,” he said.

Lacson’s running mate, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, is the frontrunner in the vice presidential race.

With the support of four formidable parties, the Lacson-Sotto tandem is considered the most organized among all contenders. They have the backing of Lacson’s Partido Reporma, the Nationalist People’s Coalition chaired by Sotto, the National Unity Party led by former Interior Secretary Ronnie Puno, and United Nationalist Alliance chaired by former Vice President Jejomar Binay.

A total of 15 senatorial aspirants are also vying for a slot in Lacson-Sotto’s 12-member senatorial ticket, while other presidential contenders are struggling to complete their slates.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)