A new poll by Jakarta-based Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) found that Ganjar’s popularity has risen significantly by 4.4 points, up from 18.1 percent on March.

The survey was conducted from May 10 to 17 of 1,220 respondents throughout the country with a 2.9 percent margin of error.

Ganjar has topped the survey since March, followed by two-time Gerindra Party candidate for president and now Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, who saw their electability slide by 0.1 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively, in the same period.

Deni Irvani, research director of SMRC, said that Ganjar was garnering continuously rising public support two years before the elections, giving him a better head-start compared with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in the lead-up to the 2014 presidential race.

The survey shows that Ganjar’s electability rating has continuously risen from 8.8 percent in March 2021 to 22.5 percent in May this year.

“Three years prior to the 2014 presidential election, Jokowi had not much public support. Ganjar, in the same period prior to the 2024 elections, meanwhile, had garnered 6.2 percent and has consistently been in a better position than Jokowi,” Deni said.