Despite lag in polls, Kadima recruiters hoping to capture ambitious number of seats

Several Kadima activists responsible for recruiting new members will be running for a spot on the party's Knesset ticket during Wednesday's primary.

Despite polls indicating that the ruling party will lose seats in the next Knesset, some Kadima activists and ministerial assistants are viewing the young party's first primary as an opportunity to represent Kadima in the Knesset.

Eighty-five people, including nearly all the current Kadima ministers and Knesset members, are running for a spot on the party list. The roster is expected to include names that may be new to the general public but are familiar to party insiders.

The recruiters - who tend to be affiliated with specific candidates, typically using membership drives to drum up support for their nominee - are among the most sought-after people in the party in the days before a primary. They are expected to get good spots on the party list by winning the support of the ministers and MKs they assist.

One recruiter is Eitan Shalom of Rishon Letzion, a former supporter of the city's mayor, Meir Nitzan. Shalom sits on the city council, is a soccer coach and a well-known figure in the area. He was responsible for recruiting some 2,000 Kadima members, most of whom voted for Shaul Mofaz as party chairman. Shalom's support is being sought by almost all the party's ministers and MKs and is now planning to parlay his influence into a Knesset seat for himself.

Meanwhile, Kadima activists have been receiving phone calls from Naftali Spitzer, the husband of party chairwoman Tzipi Livni, asking them to support the candidacy of MK Marina Solodkin, the top Kadima representative of the Russian-speaking immigrant population. Polls and focus groups show she is popular among voters from the former Soviet Union.