Puma Shen, Han Kuo-yu Stump for Opposing Candidates in Chiayi Race

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has fielded Shen Bo-yang as its key figure in this year’s Taipei mayoral race. Shen is not only a veteran party worker within the DPP but also a youth leader who has played a pivotal role in the party’s organizational structure and electoral strategies in recent years. On the 8th, he connected via video conference to Chiayi County to campaign for his party’s county magistrate candidate, Cai Yi-yu. During the video address, Shen outlined Cai’s policy platform to supporters present and specifically detailed the concrete direction of “county-level cooperation.” He emphasized that if Cai is elected, the administration will use transportation, agriculture, and tourism as entry points to deepen resource sharing and policy coordination between Taipei and Chiayi. This move indicates that the DPP has begun leveraging cross-county resources and endorsements in local elections, attempting to break new ground in the traditional Kuomintang (KMT) strongholds of the central and southern regions.

Cai Yi-yu represents the “new blood” within Chiayi County, having served as a local council member for many years. Her campaign focuses on youth employment and agricultural upgrading. Her slogan, “Make Chiayi More Dynamic,” centers on enhancing the added value of agricultural products, building smart agriculture demonstration zones, and accelerating public infrastructure development. Shen’s video endorsement is not merely a personal show of support but a specific operational tactic by the DPP to penetrate southern regions with northern political resources as part of its national electoral layout. The DPP’s electoral performance in Chiayi has been inconsistent in the past; this time, by leveraging Shen’s high-energy campaign presence, the party aims to boost its local visibility and convey the message to voters of “synchronized development between the central government and localities.”

Meanwhile, former Kaohsiung mayor and current Legislative Yuan Speaker Han Kuo-yu traveled personally to Chiayi County on the same day to campaign for non-affiliated candidate Wu Pin-rui. Han has deeply rooted a “people-friendly” image in the political arena of Kaohsiung and maintains significant influence even after transitioning to national politics in recent years. Although Wu Pin-rui does not carry a party label, his local appeal is built on “localism” and “pragmatism,” attracting a considerable number of voters who are disillusioned with the traditional two-party system. Han’s appearance not only injected momentum into Wu’s campaign but is also interpreted by observers as a strategic support from the KMT at the local level, seeking to win over independent voters by avoiding the direct use of the party name.

In his speech, Han specifically highlighted the concepts of “Chiayi needs fresh blood” and “cross-party cooperation,” implying that even non-affiliated members can have an effective voice in the Legislative Yuan. Political scholars view this move as having a dual significance: on one hand, it demonstrates the KMT’s willingness to adopt flexible cooperation models in local elections to mitigate the negative stigma associated with the party name; on the other hand, it serves as a direct response to the DPP’s increased campaign support in the same county, creating a “showdown of endorsements” on the electoral stage. The simultaneous appearance of these two heavyweight figures pushed the election dynamics in Chiayi County to a climax in a short period, with attention from both the public and the media rising in tandem.

From a broader perspective, these two campaign activities reveal a trend toward diversification in Taiwan’s local elections. In the past, the blue-green (KMT-DPP) confrontation was primarily defined by party affiliation. However, with changes in voter demographics and the acceleration of information flow, personal brands and cross-party cooperation are gradually becoming new variables in campaigns. Shen Bo-yang’s use of video conferencing to quickly link the north and south symbolizes the new application of technology in elections, while Han Kuo-yu’s physical visits and appeal to human sentiment demonstrate that traditional political mobilization remains effective. In the future, if the counties represented by these two candidates truly strengthen cooperation as they have described, it could provide a cross-party and cross-regional model for county-level governance in Taiwan.

In conclusion, the campaign activities of Shen Bo-yang and Han Kuo-yu are not merely personal endorsements for allies or friendly candidates, but new attempts by the two major parties in their local election strategies. Whether through the technological feel of video support or the emotional connection of traditional visits, it is evident that in the upcoming local elections, candidates and parties must find breakthroughs through diverse channels and cross-domain cooperation to gain an advantage in an environment where voters are becoming increasingly discerning. (Source: Central News Agency)