Chiang Wan-an Rallies for Hsieh Kuo-lung as Blue Camp Crisis Deepens

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an of the Kuomintang (KMT) traveled to Keelung in person on the 28th of this month to cheer on fellow KMT Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang in his bid for re-election. In a brief speech in front of the Keelung City Government building, Chiang called on Keelung residents to "continue supporting" the two party leaders, expressing hope that both northern heavyweights of Taipei and Keelung can achieve "another victory" in the upcoming local elections. Chiang's appearance not only served as an endorsement of Hsieh, but also demonstrated the coordinated deployment of party resources in the north, highlighting that the KMT's overall strategic layout in urban areas still centers on the "Taipei-Keelung" axis.

However, the electoral landscape in Keelung is not entirely smooth. KMT Legislator Tung Tzu-wei pointed out in a media interview that recent polls show Hsieh Kuo-liang's approval rating has declined, falling even lower than his opponent's projected figures. Tung believes that polls are more than just numbers; they reflect citizens' expectations and dissatisfaction regarding Keelung's governance, particularly on issues such as the progress of public infrastructure, traffic bottlenecks, and disaster prevention preparations, where public satisfaction with the incumbent mayor has shown signs of fatigue. These remarks have sparked discussions within the party, with some local party branch figures believing that if strategies are not adjusted in a timely manner, cracks could appear in Keelung's traditional stronghold during this year's elections.

The background of the Keelung mayoral election warrants closer examination. Since the 1990s, Keelung has been a solid vote bank for the KMT, with the past two mayoral terms governed by the party. In recent years, the rise of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in northern cities has made Keelung's political race increasingly competitive. During the 2022 local elections, Hsieh Kuo-liang won re-election by a narrow margin, indicating that Keelung voters have begun to harbor doubts about the governance effectiveness of the traditional pan-Blue camp. Coupled with national polls this year showing that young voters are paying more attention to issues such as public transportation and the upgrading of the tourism industry in Keelung, the pan-Blue camp's advantage in Keelung risks being further eroded if concrete improvement plans are not put forward.

Chiang Wan-an's trip to Keelung, aside from rallying support for Hsieh, also aimed to send a signal within the party regarding "integrating resources and fighting in sync." In his speech, Chiang noted that Taipei City and Keelung City are highly interdependent in terms of transportation, industry, and disaster prevention, and that if the two cities can jointly promote cross-regional projects, overall competitiveness will be enhanced. This rhetoric is not merely a political slogan; it also echoes the KMT's policy-level strategic layout in recent years emphasizing the development of "northern twin cities," with the expectation of winning back Keelung voters' trust through tangible cooperation projects.

From an internal party perspective, the stances of Chiang Wan-an and Tung Tzu-wei present a delicate balance. On one hand, Chiang signaled party unity in a leadership posture, calling on all party members to "win again"; on the other hand, Tung relied on polling data to remind the party apparatus that it must face grassroots voices head-on, even hinting that if governance effectiveness cannot be improved, the party might need to consider changing candidates in the future. Such internal discussions show that when facing local elections, the KMT no longer relies solely on traditional vote banks, but must instead be guided by performance and public opinion to maintain its advantage in competitive local politics.

In summary, Chiang Wan-an's campaign assistance in Keelung and Tung Tzu-wei's polling warning reflect the critical roles played by Taipei and Keelung in the local elections. If the KMT can provide concrete policy responses and balance party unity with grassroots needs in its electoral strategy, it still has the opportunity to maintain a relative advantage in the north; conversely, if it fails to effectively respond to the governance issues revealed by the polls, Keelung as a traditional Blue vote bank could experience significant erosion, producing adverse effects on the KMT's overall layout.