Gonzalo Castillo leads PLD preferences with 61% among his supporters, according to Markestrategia

Former Minister of Public Works, Gonzalo Castillo, leads the preferences for who will be the presidential candidate of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) for the 2028 elections, with 61.0% among respondents identified with that political organization, according to the most recent national survey by the firm Markestrategia, conducted on October 2, 3, and 4, 2026.

According to the study results, among those surveyed who identify with the PLD, former presidential candidate Abel Martínez holds the second position with 15.9%, while Francisco Javier García and Francisco Domínguez Brito each register 6.0%. Meanwhile, 8.2% responded that none of the mentioned aspirants, and 2.7% do not know or did not respond.

In the general sample of the survey, which includes people of different political preferences, Castillo also obtains the highest percentage, with 38.7%, followed by Abel Martínez, with 13.8%; Francisco Javier García, with 12.2%; and Francisco Domínguez Brito, with 4.5%.

In this scenario, 24.0% of those interviewed consider that none of the mentioned leaders will be the PLD presidential candidate, while 6.8% do not know or do not respond.

Gonzalo Castillo versus García

The investigation also evaluated a scenario in which only Gonzalo Castillo and Francisco Javier García appeared as possible presidential candidates for the purple party.

In this comparison, Castillo obtains 68.1% among respondents identified with the PLD, compared to the 15.4% registered by García. 11.5% responded that neither of the two and 4.9% do not know or did not respond.

When expanding the query to the general sample, Castillo reaches 43.7%, while Francisco Javier García registers 17.4%. For their part, 29.9% do not identify with either of the two options and 9.0% do not express a preference.

Gonzalo Castillo by region

Markestrategia’s results also show differences in the general population’s preferences according to the region of the country.

Gonzalo Castillo obtains 43.7% in Greater Santo Domingo, 35.7% in the Northern region, 39.3% in the South, and 32.6% in the East, when respondents were asked who they believe will be the PLD presidential candidate in 2028.

Gonzalo Castillo by age

By age group, Castillo records 40.2% among people aged 18 to 29, 37.6% among those aged 30 to 39, 34.2% among those aged 40 to 49, and 40.7% among those over 50.

Survey methodology

The Markestrategia study was conducted through in-person interviews on October 2, 3, and 4, 2026, with a national sample of 1,200 people registered in the Central Electoral Board (JCE) voter registry.

According to its technical specifications, the research has a 95% confidence level and a national sampling margin of error of ±2.8 percentage points. The firm is led by statistician Guillermo Mateo.

The results are part of the special reports published in the October 2026 print edition of De Último Minuto, which includes an extensive analysis of the political landscape and the electoral preferences of Dominicans ahead of the 2028 presidential elections.