Ko Wen-je Rallies Support for TPP Candidate Chen Hsiu-mei in Hukou

This morning, Taiwan People's Party founding chairman Ko Wen-je, along with party officials including Hsinchu County Zhubei mayoral candidate Chiu Chen-yuan and other local branch cadres, gathered in Hsinchu County's Hukou Township to rally support for party-affiliated Hsinchu County councilor candidate Chen Hsiu-mei. In addition to leaders Ko and Chiu, local party volunteers and supporters arrived consecutively at the scene. In a brief speech, Ko emphasized that the Taiwan People's Party must "start from the grassroots and from small places" in local elections, urging voters to grant their trust to Chen Hsiu-mei so that the party's policy ideals can be implemented in Hsinchu County.

Since its establishment in 2019, the Taiwan People's Party has taken "pragmatism and rationality" as its core values, quickly securing a solid voter base in mayoral and legislative elections and emerging as a third force alongside the pan-Blue and pan-Green camps. As founding chairman, Ko Wen-je has consistently played the role of a "bridge," maintaining cooperative relations with the pan-Blue camp while striving to win the support of young voters. In last year's nationwide local elections, the Taiwan People's Party made breakthroughs in council seats across certain northern and central counties and cities, indicating that its influence in local politics is gradually expanding.

As a hub for the technology industry, the electoral landscape of Hsinchu County has traditionally been fiercely contested by the Kuomintang and the Democratic Progressive Party. Located in the northwestern part of Hsinchu County, Hukou Township features a population structure dominated by the middle class. Its past voting behavior has been relatively diverse, often serving as an indicator for examining the effectiveness of various party strategies. In last year's county council elections, the Taiwan People's Party won only a small number of seats, indicating that it remains relatively weak in the county. Therefore, one of the purposes of Ko's visit was to use the personal endorsement of high-ranking figures to raise the visibility of the party's candidates and attempt to open a "second door" in Hukou and its surrounding townships.

Chen Hsiu-mei is an incumbent councilor in the Hsinchu County Council who previously ran as an independent before joining the Taiwan People's Party in 2022. She is known in the council for her focus on transportation, the environment, and public infrastructure, and has previously promoted road improvement projects in the Hukou area, earning recognition from some local residents. The Taiwan People's Party chose her as a county councilor candidate primarily due to her local foundation and executive ability, hoping to use her as a bridge to materialize party policies in local governance. During the rally, Ko specifically noted, "Councilor Chen's pragmatic style is precisely what the Taiwan People's Party wants to promote locally," hoping to persuade undecided voters through this message.

Chiu Chen-yuan is the Taiwan People's Party representative for the Zhubei mayoral election. He previously served as a member of the Hsinchu County Youth Commission and possesses a certain level of social movement experience and a youth support base. Appearing alongside Ko at this event demonstrated the party branch's emphasis on his layout for Zhubei municipal governance. In an interview, Chiu stated that if elected mayor, he will focus on "smart cities" and "green sustainability," combining the industrial advantages of the Hsinchu Science Park to enhance residents' quality of life. The Taiwan People's Party is simultaneously deploying multiple fronts in Hsinchu County, intending to form a "horizontal" electoral synergy where the campaigns for Zhubei mayor and Hukou councilor mutually support one another, creating a positive cycle of voter recognition.

Overall, this rally in Hukou was not merely a simple endorsement event, but a microcosm of the Taiwan People's Party's electoral layout for the 2024 local elections. If Chen Hsiu-mei can achieve a breakthrough in the council election, it will lay the first "foundation" for the Taiwan People's Party in Hsinchu County, further elevating its voice among the national third force. At the same time, if Chiu Chen-yuan's mayoral campaign can secure sufficient local support, it is also expected to help the party branch establish a broader network of connections in the central region. In the long run, the success or failure of the Taiwan People's Party at the local level will directly affect its organizational mobilization capacity and policy promotion space in future legislative and presidential elections. (Source of facts: Central News Agency)