President Lai Endorses Su Chiao-hui for New Taipei Mayor During Blessing Event

President Lai Ching-tse recently visited the Ding Taishan Shrine and Xia Taishan Shrine in Taishan District, New Taipei City, to pay respects to deities and pray for national peace, stability, and favorable weather. Accompanied by local residents and party officials, President Lai expressed his hopes for the nation’s well-being. Following the ritual, the President shifted his focus to New Taipei City’s future political landscape and local governance, publicly endorsing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Su Chiao-hui for the next New Taipei City mayoral election. In his remarks, President Lai employed a vivid metaphor, expressing his hope that if Su is elected mayor, she will lead all 29 administrative districts of the city toward comprehensive prosperity and revitalization. He envisioned each district shining like a star in the sky; he stated that when every administrative district highlights its unique characteristics and radiance, New Taipei City will naturally shine brightly, becoming a key engine driving development in northern Taiwan.

Although this political endorsement was made during a local religious event, it has been widely interpreted by outside observers as an early strategic move and a clear signal from the DPP regarding its layout for the 2026 New Taipei City mayoral race. As the most populous direct-controlled municipality in the country, New Taipei City has a massive voter base of nearly four million people. It has historically been a critical battleground and an important barometer for testing political winds among the Kuomintang (KMT), DPP, and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in national elections. The KMT has long governed New Taipei City, and the term of incumbent Mayor Hou You-yi is nearing its end. Both the blue and green camps are seeking the most suitable successor. Within the DPP, local legislators have been actively cultivating their bases. Su Chiao-hui, who possesses solid experience in legislative oversight, an excellent reputation for grassroots service, and deep family roots in the local area, has consistently been viewed as one of the party’s strong candidates for the New Taipei City campaign. President Lai’s public endorsement and expression of high expectations have undoubtedly laid a more solid foundation for Su’s competitive position within the party.

A closer look at New Taipei City’s administrative divisions reveals a vast territory with significant urban-rural disparities. The city encompasses highly urbanized core areas such as Banqiao, Sanchong, Zhonghe, and Yonghe, as well as satellite towns like Taishan, Shulin, Sanxia, and Yingge, which blend traditional and emerging development. It also includes remote mountain and coastal districts such as Shuangxi, Pingxi, Gongliao, and Wulai. President Lai’s call for all 29 administrative districts to shine "brightly" addresses a core challenge in New Taipei City’s governance for years: achieving balanced regional resource distribution. In the past, external critics have frequently pointed out the development gap between the urban core and the peripheral areas, often referred to as the "egg white" and "eggshell" zones. If the future municipal government team fails to properly address industrial transformation, transportation network integration, and public infrastructure upgrades in every district, it risks generating public discontent. By using the starry sky as a metaphor, President Lai emphasized that each administrative district possesses its own unique radiance and value. This is not only an expectation for a specific candidate but also a setting of the tone for future local governance policies.

For Su Chiao-hui, this public endorsement and expression of hope serve as both an injection of political energy and a rigorous test she must face in the future. Su has long cultivated her political base in Shulin and Yingge, building upon the foundation established by her father, former DPP leader Su Tseng-chang. She has served multiple terms as a legislator, demonstrating professional oversight capabilities in areas such as the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee. In recent years, she has actively expanded her operations across districts, visiting various administrative areas in New Taipei City to demonstrate her determination to comprehensively grasp local trends. However, translating the DPP central party’s trust and her grassroots strength as a local legislator into a winning formula for a direct-controlled municipality mayoral candidacy requires her to pass comprehensive tests in cross-district integration and policy articulation. New Taipei City’s voter structure has traditionally seen a mix of blue and green support, with the trends of independent voters and younger generations often determining the election’s outcome. Proposing a forward-looking yet concretely feasible urban vision will be the report card Su Chiao-hui must deliver next.

From the perspective of the macro national political landscape, President Lai, who also serves as the DPP chairman, has a layout and line of thinking regarding local chief executives that impacts the ruling party’s ability to deepen local democracy and sustain policy approval ratings. The outcome in New Taipei City not only symbolizes an expansion of the ruling party’s local political map but also directly affects the implementation of central policies in the country’s largest local government. Coordination between central and local authorities often determines the pace of urban progress, whether in extending the metro network, constructing social housing, planning industrial parks, or popularizing childcare and long-term care policies. By using the opportunity to pray for blessings to articulate his vision for New Taipei City’s development and his expectations for a specific candidate, President Lai has officially ignited the prelude to the 2026 election battle. This has also made New Taipei City’s future political direction a core focus of continuous attention on the domestic political stage.

(Source: CNA)