Yilan: The opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) on Monday released the results of a joint poll showing KMT Legislator Wu Tsung-hsien as the leading candidate for Yilan County magistrate in the Nov. 28 local government elections.
According to Focus Taiwan, the results of a recent telephone poll of 1,093 respondents were released at a news conference attended by Wu, former TPP Legislator Chen Wan-hui, KMT Vice Chairman and Secretary-General Lee Chien-lung, and TPP Secretary-General Chou Yu-shiu. The survey asked respondents who they would support in two scenarios against Lin Kuo-chang, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate for Yilan County, with Wu or Chen as the KMT-TPP joint nominee, as well as options for supporting both, neither or giving no response.
In a head-to-head with Lin, Wu received 27.6 percent support, compared with 28.9 percent for Lin. If Chen were nominated instead, she received 21.1 percent, compared with 27.5 percent for Lin. The poll results indicated that Wu performed slightly better than Chen in a hypothetical matchup against Lin.
During the event, Chen emphasized that Yilan is in need of reform and change. She added that both she and Wu support KMT-TPP cooperation, with the goal being for Wu to win the Yilan magistrate race. Wu stated that if elected, he would prioritize policies aimed at improving the livelihood of Yilan residents and the county's development, with an administration focusing on cross-party and non-factional appointments.
Although the poll showed Lin leading in both scenarios, Wu expressed his determination to work harder to win over voters in Yilan. He called on supporters of the opposition alliance and centrist voters to unite and bring change to the county. Speaking to reporters at a separate event on Monday, Lin stated that he would seek to win the election through policy proposals and local engagement.
Lin mentioned that he would consider all polls in his campaign strategy, noting that previous surveys by various pollsters showed relatively low levels of voter preference. He plans to investigate why many voters remain undecided and aims to win their support. Chen Wen-chang, head of Lin's campaign office, added that recent polls have shown Lin in the lead against his rivals, expressing confidence that the margin will widen.