TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DPP lawmaker Wang Shih-chien (王世堅) on Wednesday questioned the results of a recent survey that showed him outperforming other potential DPP candidates against Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安).
Wang said that both Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and Vice Premier Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君) were better qualified to run for mayor and questioned why he would outperform them in a head-to-head matchup, per NOWNews. The poll, conducted by Z.Media, compared Chiang’s support against Wang, Cho, and Cheng separately.
According to the survey, Chiang led Cheng and Cho by more than 30 percentage points in their respective matchups, while Wang narrowed Chiang’s lead to about 19 points. Wang said he was surprised by the findings and suggested other candidates should be included in future polling, naming DPP Secretary-General Hsu Kuo-yong (徐國勇), Legislator Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄), and former lawmaker Kao Chia-yu (高嘉瑜).
Wang said including those figures could affect the results. The poll was conducted Jan. 25–26 among 1,078 respondents, including 537 reached by landline and 541 by mobile phone, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.99 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
Among potential DPP contenders, Cheng has been widely viewed as a strong candidate. KMT Taipei City Chapter Chair Tai Hsi-chin (戴錫欽) said Cheng’s role in tariff negotiations could help her attract non-aligned voters, potentially limiting Chiang’s ability to campaign for KMT candidates in more competitive districts outside Taipei, per Newtalk.
Tai added that Cheng’s relatively low public profile could work to her advantage, estimating she could secure 40% to 45% of the vote, forcing Chiang to seek broader support to retain the mayoralty.
Cheng, however, has reiterated that she does not plan to run. In a TTV interview aired Saturday, she said she prefers working on policy issues rather than seeking elected office, per Newtalk.
Media commentator Lo Wang-che (羅旺哲) said Cheng’s decision to grant the interview could help lay the groundwork for a future political role, but warned that her lack of campaign experience could pose challenges, per China Times. He added that if US President Donald Trump were to threaten higher tariffs on Taiwan, as he has with South Korea, Cheng’s prospects could falter.
Meanwhile, Kao said she continues to believe Wang is the strongest DPP candidate for the Taipei mayoral race, per Storm Media. While praising Cheng’s credentials, Kao said Cheng’s lower name recognition could be a disadvantage.
Kao said Wang’s distinctive public image and popularity could provide a strong contrast with Chiang, adding that she believed Wang could be persuaded to reconsider.
Wang responded that while he would support Kao on personal matters, a mayoral bid should be decided collectively by the party, per NOWNews. He also named Kao as a potential candidate, saying her continued political engagement has helped build public support.
In addition to candidate matchups, the Z.Media poll measured approval ratings for President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and Mayor Chiang, per UP Media. Chiang recorded higher approval than disapproval across all demographic groups, with the exception of respondents identifying as DPP supporters.
Lai’s approval ratings showed the opposite pattern, with higher approval than disapproval only among DPP supporters, residents of Datong and Zhongshan districts, voters aged 70 and older, and respondents with junior high school education or below. Compared with previous surveys, Lai’s disapproval rating fell by 2.9 percentage points to 51.1%, while his approval rating declined by 2.1 points to 39.7%.
