TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Formosa Chair Wu Tzu-chia (吳子嘉) said Thursday that a Taiwan People’s Party and Kuomintang alliance in the 2026 New Taipei City mayoral race could effectively block Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) from winning.
Wu argued that an alliance between the TPP and KMT would be the ideal outcome for both parties, per NOWnews. He noted that while Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) struggles with younger voters, TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) could help attract that demographic.
Wu added that if the two parties can reach an agreement, Su would have no viable path to victory. However, he cautioned the KMT must be careful in how it approaches negotiations, despite Lee currently leading in the polls.
A recent New Era public opinion survey showed Lee defeating both Su and former DPP Secretary-General Lin Yu-chang (林右昌). Huang’s support has increased significantly compared to earlier polling, but he still trails both DPP contenders.
Media commentator Shang I-fu (尚毅夫) noted that the poll was conducted given the assumption of a TPP-KMT alliance and showed Huang performing better than his rivals only among voters aged 20 to 29, per NOWnews. He said this suggests Huang’s chances of being selected as the joint TPP-KMT candidate for New Taipei mayor remain slim.
Shang added that future negotiations between the TPP and KMT could depend on the party’s next chair and its broader strategy in the 2026 local elections.
Lee officially announced his candidacy for New Taipei mayor on Tuesday. In response, Huang said he hoped for a “fair, transparent, and impartial” process to determine the strongest candidate between the two parties.
Soochow University Assistant Professor Chang Yuan-hsiang (張元祥) said Huang’s entry into the race may be more strategic than personal, interpreting it as a signal to initiate broader electoral negotiations with the KMT, per UDN. He noted that Huang, as TPP chair, has party-wide responsibilities that may prevent him from focusing fully on a mayoral bid.
Chang also suggested that for the alliance to hold, the KMT may need to concede certain seats to satisfy the TPP and maintain unity heading into the 2026 elections.
