TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DPP Legislator Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) has taken the lead over potential New Taipei mayoral rival Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) for the first time in an internal survey, narrowly defeating him in a head-to-head matchup.
According to the DPP poll, in a hypothetical three-way race among Su, Lee and TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), Su led Lee by nearly eight percentage points and nearly tripled Huang’s support, which stood at 13.1%, per ETtoday. More notably, Su also edged out Lee in a direct one-on-one matchup, a shift from previous polling.
The survey, conducted Feb. 23–24 among 1,020 respondents, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
A campaign insider said Su has consolidated support with backing from senior DPP figures, including President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), as well as through grassroots outreach. In contrast, the insider said Lee’s momentum has been hampered by controversy involving his brother, Lee Ssu-fu (李賜福).
One day after Lee Shu-chuan announced his bid, the Pingtung District Prosecutors Office indicted Lee Ssu-fu on allegations of extorting local waste disposal operators.
Commenting on the case, Su said the judicial system should handle the matter strictly to prevent similar incidents from recurring, per Liberty Times. Lee Shu-chuan has acknowledged his relationship with his brother but said his sibling must take responsibility for his own actions.
A senior member of the Lee family said that aside from returning home during Lunar New Year, Lee Shu-chuan has rarely visited Xiaoliuqiu since moving to northern Taiwan for his studies, per Mirror Media. Former Liuqiu Township Mayor Tsai Tien-yu (蔡天裕) said Lee Ssu-fu’s alleged misconduct should not be used to burden Lee Shu-chuan, per Liberty Times.
