Three candidates vie for the LDP’s top two spots

key takeaways

• Polls show a widening gap between the top three candidates – Koizumi Shinjirō, Ishiba Shigeru, and Takaichi Sanae – and the rest of the field.
• While Koizumi appears to have slipped a little – and Takaichi has gained – since the campaign began, the race between the three remains close in the first round, with no obvious favorite.