Taipei Mayoral ElectionChiang Wan-an's Lead Over Shen Po-yang Narrows to Single Digits in Taipei Mayoral Polls
As of October 8, 2026, a TVBS poll shows Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an leading Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Shen Po-yang by 8 percentage points in the Taipei mayoral election, with Chiang at 49% and Shen at 41%. This gap has narrowed from 28 percentage points in late May to single digits in four months. Media personality Chan Ling-yu and internet celebrity 'Four-Eyed Cat' Liu Yu noted this narrowing lead, with Liu Yu calling it 'Green VBS'. Political commentator Chang Yi-shan estimated that Shen Po-yang could overtake Chiang Wan-an if voter transfer ratios from the previous mayoral election were applied. On October 7, 2026, Shen Po-yang was interviewed on TVBS's 'Shao-kang's War Room,' hosted by Chao Shao-kang, a KMT 'Combat Blue' initiator. The interview, described as a 'three-on-one' session with Chao Shao-kang and two other questioners (Chien I-chun and Li Cheng-ying), garnered significant attention, with over 100,000 simultaneous online viewers during the live broadcast and exceeding 1.19 million views in less than a day. This interview was seen as a turning point for Shen Po-yang's popularity on Pan-Blue channels, with viewership soaring from 20,000 to 120,000. During the interview, Shen Po-yang addressed contentious issues such as drugs, the death penalty, and major recalls, and evaluated Chiang Wan-an's governance, criticizing the 'fresh milk for all' policy. TVBS host Chien I-chun initially criticized Shen Po-yang's answers on drug issues as 'insincere and evasive' in a social media post, but later deleted it due to backlash, with Shen Po-yang defending her right to subjective feelings. Former President Chen Shui-bian commented on comparisons between Shen Po-yang and himself, stating he and Mayor Chiang were 'more similar.' Ko Wen-je, founding chairman of the Taiwan People's Party, responded to being used as a negative example to warn Shen Po-yang against 'going astray' in a second term. Chiang Wan-an declined to grade his own interview performance and avoided commenting on Shen Po-yang's performance, repeating a stock phrase. Pro-Blue pundits privately criticized Chiang Wan-an for municipal blunders and evasive answers, leading to a surge in negative public perception. Shen Po-yang has signed agreements for four debates, while Chiang Wan-an's campaign office revealed on October 5 that TVBS would coordinate a debate. Chiang Wan-an reportedly declined interview requests from Wang Wei-chung and Chao Shao-kang, choosing to be interviewed by CTi News and Kuo Cheng-liang instead.
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