Ridwan Kamil, Strongest Candidate for West Java Governor

M. Ridwan Kamil was the strongest candidate in the 2018 West Java Regional Head Election (Pilkada). A survey conducted by Saiful Mujani Research & Consulting (SMRC) from September 27 to October 3, 2017, showed that Ridwan Kamil's electability consistently ranked highest, using both open and semi-open methods. The Golkar Party submitted its recommendation to the Bandung Mayor on Thursday, November 9th, for him to run in next year's West Java Pilkada.

In a semi-open simulation presenting three names—Ridwan Kamil, Deddy Mizwar, and Dedi Mulyadi—the Bandung Mayor maintained the highest electability with 46.7% of the vote. Deddy Mizwar followed with 35.4%, and Dedi Mulyadi received 8.8%. Those who responded "Don't Know" (DK) or "Don't Answer" (DA) totaled 9.1%. In a two-candidate (head-to-head) simulation against Deddy Mizwar, Ridwan Kamil also led with 50.7% of the vote, while Deddy Mizwar received only 39%, with the remainder DK/DA. In a head-to-head matchup against Dedi Mulyadi, Ridwan Kamil also prevailed with 64% of the vote, compared to Dedi Mulyadi's 17.6%, with the rest DK/DA.

The SMRC survey involved 820 respondents using a multistage random sampling method. Villages/urban villages at the sub-district level were selected proportionally. The margin of error was approximately +/- 3.5% with a 95% confidence level.