Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), whose popularity rose after the city staged the 2009 World Games, has emerged as one of the favored campaigners among Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) hopefuls ahead of the year-end city and county chief elections.
Chen has been invited to campaign for DPP county commissioner candidates Chang Hwa-kuan (張花冠) in Chiayi, Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) in Taoyuan and Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻) in Pingtung, as well as mayoral candidate Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲) in Chiayi City.
She visited Yilan County yesterday for an election rally for county commissioner candidate Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢).
DPP candidates have in the past tended to seek public support from senior party members like former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and former premiers Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), but Chen Chu has emerged from their shadows to become a popular campaign draw.
The Kaohsiung mayor said she hoped to offer warm support for party comrades during a low period for the DPP and regain voters’ confidence in the party.
A survey of Kaohsiung City residents published by the city’s Research, Development and Evaluation Commission on Sept. 24 found that 82 percent of respondents said they felt proud to be a resident of Kaohsiung. Chen Chu’s mayorship had a 78 percent approval rating.
The commission attributed her rising approval rate, which was 10 percent higher than a year ago, to the World Games in July.
The “three-in-one” elections for mayors and magistrates, city and county councilors, and city and township heads will be held on Dec. 5.
As six cities and counties — Taipei County, Taitung City and County, Tainan City and County and Kaohsiung County — will be upgraded or merged into municipalities that will not elect new chiefs until late next year, this year’s elections will be held in only 17 cities and counties.
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