TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan People's Party Chair Ko Wen-Je (柯文哲) said Friday (Aug. 11) that he will definitely run as "a presidential candidate" rather than support anyone else in the election next year.
Ko announced his 2024 bid in May and has been viewed as the top challenger to the current ruling Democratic Progressive Party's presidential candidate, Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), who holds a wide lead in polls. Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation's poll in July, for example, showed Lai (33.9%) with a 13% lead over Ko (20.5%), followed by Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Hou Yu-ih's (侯友宜) 18%, and former Foxconn founder Terry Gou's (郭台銘) 15.2%.
Gou would appear to be gearing up for a run as an independent after the KMT congress nominated Hou in July.
The former Taipei mayor's statement dashed the hopes of Gou's supporters, some of whom are said to be hardcore KMT supporters. However, few polls show the pair could significantly narrow the gap with Lai.
At a Friday campaign event, when asked about supporting Gou, Ko said he would only run as a presidential candidate. He said he is in the game for ideals rather than power, so teaming up with another hopeful who does not share the same values was not an option.