Poe is 2028 Senate front-runner

Former Senator Grace Poe leads a crowded field of potential contenders for the 2028 senatorial elections, topping 66 individuals in Pulse Asia’s latest survey, with 15 emerging as having a statistical chance of winning a Senate seat.

Poe garnered 50.2 percent voter support in the Ulat ng Bayan national survey conducted through face-to-face interviews from 17 to 24 September and released Monday.

Her rating placed her within the first- to second-place range, ahead of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who scored 46.5 percent and landed within the first- to fourth-place range.

Senators Robin Padilla and Rafael Tulfo followed with 45.9 percent and 44.4 percent, respectively, both ranking within the second- to fourth-place range.

Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte placed next with 37.2 percent, followed by former senator Manny Pacquiao at 36.5 percent. They landed within the fifth- to sixth-place and fifth- to seventh-place ranges, respectively.

Sen. Loren Legarda received 33 percent, placing her within the sixth- to ninth-place range. Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay and Senate President Francis Escudero garnered 31.7 percent and 30.1 percent, respectively, both within the seventh- to ninth-place range.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara ranked 10th with 26.3 percent.

The remaining potential winners include Ben Tulfo, who received 21.5 percent; Mark Lapid, chief operating officer of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, with 19.8 percent; Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, with 18.2 percent; television host Willie Revillame, with 17.7 percent; and former Anakalusugan Partylist Representative Michael Defensor, with 16.9 percent.

Pulse Asia’s statistical ranking ranges reflect the survey’s margins of error and should not be read as fixed placements or a forecast of the final election results.

The survey also found that 3.6 percent of Filipino adults remained undecided about their senatorial choices, while 2.8 percent said they would not vote for any of the possible candidates. Almost 1 percent declined to express an opinion.