Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) will have to work harder if he hopes to defeat Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) in November, senior DPP officials said yesterday.
In its latest survey earlier this month, the Chinese-language daily China Times showed Hu with a 6-point lead, which represents an impressive showing by the DPP candidate, who was more accustomed to trailing by double digits.
However, there are concerns that the momentum is slowing and that the “golden intersection” — referring to the point at which Su would be close to overtaking Hu in the polls — may come too late for the Nov. 27 elections, which are just two months away.
PHOTO: OU SU-MEI, TAIPEI TIMES
DPP Secretary-General Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) said the opposition party expected to send more party officials and logistical support to Taichung in coming weeks.
Former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), a chief election strategist for the DPP, arrived in the city last week to aid Su's campaign full time.
“We will quicken our pace in Greater Taichung,” Wu said. “Hu has been mayor for the last nine years; it's time for a change.”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has traditionally done well in Taichung city and county, an area that will become known as Greater Taichung after the special municipality elections.
In 2005, Hu obtained 58.3 percent of the vote against 39 percent for DPP candidate Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), a former Cabinet spokesperson.
In Taichung County, incumbent commissioner Huang Chung-sheng (黃仲生) took 59.5 percent of the vote against 39.1 percent for former DPP legislator Chiu Tai-san (邱太三).
Last weekend, the DPP held its annual party celebrations in Taichung, attracting thousands to hear speeches by DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), in a move designed to give the DPP candidate a boost.
The last-minute decision to cast Su, who has prior experience as minister of the interior and Council of Agriculture minister, over Lin was designed to appeal to voters in Taichung City, who are perceived to be more interested in law and order, and those in Taichung County, whose focus is more on farming.
“We recognize we may need to do better in Taichung County. The best-case scenario would be if voters chose the DPP as they did in the 2004 presidential election,” Wu said. “This is what we need to work toward. We cannot just sit down and wait for it to happen.”
Wu said that based on prior election experience, encouraging residents — especially younger voters — to show up and vote would increase the opposition party's chances.
“No matter where in Taiwan, younger voters usually choose the DPP,” but these are types of voters who usually have the lowest turnout,” Wu said.
“Our policy is to think of a method that will encourage them to show up at the polling stations,” Wu said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.