TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) leads both potential Kuomintang candidates in the latest poll on the 2026 Tainan mayoral race, while her primary rival Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) narrowly trails KMT Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介).
A poll released Monday by TVBS shows Chen expanding her lead over Hsieh to 13 percentage points, while Lin has closed the gap with Hsieh to just three points. If the KMT instead nominates former Legislator Chen I-hsin (陳以信), both DPP contenders defeat him by wide margins, with Chen Ting-fei winning by 47 points and Lin by 25, per UP Media.
TVBS conducted the poll from Nov. 11 to 20, surveying 1,013 respondents with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
Lin questioned the poll results, arguing that even accounting for TVBS’s perceived political leanings, he should not be trailing Hsieh, per Mirror Media. He urged voters to compare the numbers with what they see “on the ground.”
Hsieh also commented, saying the increasingly favorable polling for DPP candidates reflects the resources Chen and Lin have poured into their primary battle. He added that the survey also underscored his own weaknesses, per ETtoday.
Asked whether declining support from Taiwan People’s Party voters contributed to his performance, Hsieh said discussions over a 2026 opposition coalition are underway at the highest levels. He argued that once an alliance is finalized, his numbers should improve.
A DPP insider attributed the rise in support for both Chen and Lin to the unofficial start of the DPP primary in November 2024, which has boosted their visibility. In contrast, the insider said Hsieh has been pushed to the sidelines, per CMedia.
A local political observer warned that if the DPP primary does not produce the strongest candidate to take on Hsieh, the party could risk losing Tainan to the KMT, per FTNN. A DPP heavyweight separately cautioned that nominating a weaker candidate could deepen internal divisions and even affect the party’s prospects in the 2028 presidential election.
In October, Chen cited multiple polls showing her leading Hsieh and warned that if she were to lose the primary despite a 17-point advantage, the DPP would have to “bear responsibility for the outcome of the mayoral election,” per UDN.
The DPP Tainan City Branch criticized Chen in a statement, saying her remarks cast doubt on her faith in the party’s integrity. It argued she should have addressed suspected KMT interference in the primary rather than promoting what it described as comments bordering on conspiracy theories.
