Eli Cohen Leads Likud Primaries as Ohana and Levin Battle Closely for Seats

After counting 75% of the votes in the Likud party primaries on August 18, 2026, Eli Cohen is leading by a significant margin. Amir Ohana and Yariv Levin are locked in a tight race, separated by only 20 votes. Almog Cohen, endorsed by Netanyahu and formerly of Otzma Yehudit, surged to eighth place with 20,439 votes, outperforming many veteran politicians. Meanwhile, Nir Barkat, former Jerusalem mayor and current Economy Minister, is struggling near the borderline of realistic entry into the Knesset list, ranking 16th with 16,692 votes.

Miri Regev secured fourth place with 27,536 votes, solidifying her position as the top-ranking woman in the party. Other notable results include Ofir Katz, coalition chairman, placing fifth with 25,311 votes, and Yoav Kish and Miki Zohar closely contesting sixth and seventh places. The competition around the cutoff line for the list is intense, with Boaz Bismuth, Barkat, and Ofir Akunis separated by just a few hundred votes.

Several incumbent ministers, including May Golan, Idit Silman, and Avi Dichter, currently stand outside the realistic range for Knesset entry, with Dichter notably among the biggest potential losers. The final list will be influenced by reserved spots, regional allocations, and representation guarantees, which could push some candidates ranked in the mid-teens further down the list.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s endorsed candidates are leading in the three districts where he intervened: Erez Tadmor in Jerusalem-Shfela, Shlomo Lerner in Dan-Tel Aviv, and Shuki Ohana in Galilee and the Valleys. This success bolsters Netanyahu’s influence despite ongoing tensions over reserved slots, which may cause friction with sitting ministers and MKs who find themselves on the margins or outside the list.

With 125 polling stations still to report, minor shifts could alter the rankings. The results will also impact the current Knesset members’ political standing within Likud ahead of the general elections. Netanyahu faces pressure to justify the use of reserved slots, especially from factions like the Ethiopian community advocating for representation. The primaries are a critical step toward finalizing the Likud list for the upcoming elections.