Ko Wen-je visits Keelung to rally members, vowing to ignore polls

Tsai-ying Wen, the founding chairman of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), traveled to Keelung on Tuesday to attend a campaign support event, rallying backing for the party's candidates for city council seats. During a roundtable discussion with party officials and volunteers, Wen specifically addressed recent opinion polls on the Keelung mayoral race released by the media. He emphasized an attitude of "regardless of the polling numbers," noting that with less than a month remaining until election day, the sole focus should be on "going all out" rather than relying excessively on data. These remarks not only served to encourage the candidates but also revealed the TPP's strategic downplaying of opinion polls in local elections, aiming to replace the influence of numbers with action and visibility.

The Keelung mayoral election has been a national focal point since last year, as the city has witnessed fierce competition between the blue and green camps in the past two local elections, with each cycle seeing breakthroughs by emerging forces. Since its establishment in 2020, the TPP has secured city council seats in multiple counties and cities, with a relatively solid presence in the northern metropolitan area. As a port city, Keelung faces challenges in population structure and industrial transformation, leading voters to have more diverse expectations regarding "urban governance" and "public infrastructure." The TPP hopes to use this mayoral election to expand its political footprint in the northeastern region and test its governing capacity at the local level.

Wen's remarks echoed the "pragmatic" and "unswayed by polls" political style he emphasized during his tenure as Taipei mayor. Since 2022, while the TPP has not secured a large number of seats in national elections, its breakthroughs in local elections are still regarded as a key asset for the party. In this Keelung campaign support effort, Wen not only motivated the candidates with slogans but also reminded both party members and outsiders that the key to an election lies in the visibility of "grassroots mobilization" and "policy implementation," rather than simple polling rankings. This stance has previously been criticized for ignoring public sentiment trends in past elections; thus, his renewed emphasis on the determination to "go all out" also serves as a correction to the party's internal strategy.

From a timeline perspective, voting for the Keelung mayoral election will take place next month, with only about 30 days remaining until the final ballot. This period is typically the peak time for various parties to intensify their campaigning, hold rallies, and conduct policy briefings. The TPP will face fierce competition from the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) during this period, particularly needing to highlight its differentiation on issues such as public infrastructure, transportation improvements, and coastal environmental governance by proposing concrete plans. If the candidates can quickly translate the "go all out" slogan into actual actions, it will help enhance the party's visibility and voter support in Keelung.

In summary, Wen's remarks at the Keelung campaign event not only boosted the morale of the party's city council candidates but also demonstrated the TPP's adjusted attitude toward opinion polls and its action-oriented strategy in local elections. As election day approaches, whether the candidates can translate "going all out" into concrete policy explanations and grassroots mobilization will directly impact the TPP's success in the Keelung mayoral race and will also test its strength and future trajectory within the landscape of emerging parties nationwide. (Source: Central News Agency)