2026 Elections: DPP aims to widen control as elections heat up

‘OCEAN WAVE’ EFFECT: The DPP’s Taipei campaign is drawing support from young voters and raising the profile of policy debates even in Taichung, an official said

• By Chen Cheng-yu and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writer

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With the nine-in-one local elections less than a month away, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is seeking to secure its control over five local governments and make additional gains in other municipalities, an insider said.

The DPP seeks to defend its territory, while leveraging its “dual spearheads” in Taipei and New Taipei City to expand the momentum into other administrative regions, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The party is optimistic about turning the tide in Keelung, Yilan County, Hsinchu County, Changhua County and Chiayi City, while candidates in Taichung City and Taitung County are also catching up, the source said.

Democratic Progressive Party Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen, front, left, works the crowd in a motorcade in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times

While DPP Legislator and Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) “Ocean Wave” (洋流) has boosted the DPP’s election prospects, President William Lai (賴清德), who also chairs the party, reminded party members to remain vigilant and humble regardless of fluctuations in opinion polls, they said.

Lai urged the DPP, when facing attacks and provocations in the coming weeks, to respond rationally and with restraint.

The DPP’s Central Standing Committee also issued a directive to local branches urging caution in conduct, reminding them that overconfidence leads to defeat, they said.

Party insiders believe that the DPP support remains solid in its strongholds of Kaohsiung, Tainan, Chiayi County and Pingtung County, while Penghu remains a difficult contest, they said.

Changhua County, Chiayi City, Yilan County, Hsinchu County and Keelung are regions where the party hopes for breakthroughs, as divisions within the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the breakdown of KMT-Taiwan People’s Party cooperation could open the way, they said.

In Taichung, DPP mayoral candidate Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純) has benefited from the “Ocean Wave” effect, drawing support from young voters and raising the profile of policy debates, gradually narrowing the gap with her rival, they said.

In Taitung County, DPP Legislator Asenay Daliyalrep, has continued to advance on the strength of party unity, intensifying grassroots campaigning in indigenous communities to secure 40 percent of the indigenous vote, they said.

The party’s coordinated campaigns in Taipei and New Taipei City have injected momentum into what had been a lackluster election, prompting voters to take a fresh look at candidates’ expertise and policy platforms, they said.

The party plans to extend the momentum to Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, Taoyuan and other administrative regions by combining publicity campaigns, in-person events and social media initiatives, strengthening appeals for young people to return home and cast their ballots, they said.

In the final stage, the party plans to hold large-scale campaign rallies to mobilize voters, bolstered by appearances from heavyweights, including Lai, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), they said.

Campaign appearances by senior party figures would be coordinated with major events in each administrative region, including the final week of campaigning and election-eve rallies, they said.

As New Taipei City is a pivotal battleground that could influence the overall election outcome, DPP mayoral candidate Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) has been setting up joint campaign headquarters with city council candidates, completing their grassroots organizational groundwork, Su’s campaign officials said.

The party plans to hold large-scale rallies on four consecutive weekends, each drawing at least 5,000 people, they said, adding that they also plan to have Lai, Tsai, Hsiao and Shen appear onstage, with at least one high-profile figure attending each week.

The rallies would be supplemented by motorcades, street campaigns and social media initiatives to sustain momentum, they said.

Building momentum is one thing, but maintaining that momentum down the stretch is the hardest part, a campaign staffer said, adding that the final month would be a tough battle.

As New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) is campaigning for KMT mayoral candidate Lee Shu-chuan (李四川), the DPP must closely monitor whether the KMT’s local networks fully mobilize, including volunteer police and firefighters, the DPP staffer said.