EDITORIAL: Taipei’s different mayoral choices

The Taipei mayoral race that was widely believed to be a hands-down win for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) only a few months ago has taken a sudden turn.

When Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋), who is running in his first direct election, accepted his party’s nomination for Taipei mayor in May, his support trailed that of incumbent Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the KMT by nearly 30 percentage points, but recent polls have shown a much closer race.

The first televised debate between Chiang and Shen was held on Oct. 31, giving voters a rare chance to compare the two starkly different candidates, their policy ideas and visions for the city.

Chiang used the opportunity to save his rapidly eroding reputation, citing statistics to demonstrate his “deep understanding of city administration” and accusing Shen of “professional arrogance.”

He successfully boosted the morale of KMT supporters: many rejoiced and praised him for “winning” the debate. A post-debate poll released by the event’s pan-blue-leaning cohost TVBS showed that respondents thought otherwise — 47 percent said Shen performed better, while 40 percent said Chiang did.

A Strategy and Public Research Institute of Taiwan poll released on Monday last week showed that Shen’s support had surpassed Chiang’s and that he led in “perceived likelihood of winning” by 7.8 percentage points.

Shen has stayed true to his campaign principles — keeping discussions rational and positive, focusing on policies and city governance rather than grand ideologies and projects, while emphasizing “putting people back at the center” and finding ways to solve bread-and-butter issues.

Shen’s campaign also maintained its steady pace after the debate. Thousands joined a rally at Longshan Temple that evening, and organizers reported a crowd of 35,000 at Daan Forest Park the next day to listen to him explain his policy ideas.

Meanwhile, the mayor’s team seems to be struggling to respond to Shen’s unconventional and creative campaign.

Last month, six days after Shen’s campaign launched the “Heart Policy Island” (HEART政策島) online platform — where visitors can explore his policy ideas through an interactive virtual island — Chiang’s team launched a “Taipei Encore” interactive Web page.

However, a separate page about Chiang’s record hosted on the site sparked controversy after Internet users and developers said an artificial intelligence (AI) prompt used to create the page explicitly instructed it to reference Shen’s platform. Chiang’s campaign denied plagiarism, saying the page’s creator had referenced only the “interactive feel” of Shen’s site.

Shen’s campaign has also been distributing the SOON Daily (順報) newsletter at MRT stations and making it freely available online since last month. The first issue covered Taipei’s hiking trails and running routes, as well as the “runner’s stations” in Tokyo and Seoul — a policy idea that Shen hopes to introduce to the city. The second issue focused on childcare, with expert advice, information on child-friendly bookstores and vaccinations, and Shen’s proposals for more support for families.

Chiang’s team on Wednesday issued its first newsletter, Wanan Alert (萬安警報), a play on the mayor’s name and the former annual Wan An air-raid drills. However, some Internet users described it as more akin to a campaign leaflet, with photographs of Chiang and a timeline of his remarks on AI development intended to demonstrate his role in Nvidia’s decision to establish its Taiwan headquarters in Taipei.

As Shen’s predominantly orange “Ocean Wave” (洋流) campaign ribbons, part of his “Taipei Current” (台北大洋流) campaign, have grown popular among supporters and inspired dozens of designs, the KMT’s Central Standing Committee on Wednesday distributed ribbons bearing the Republic of China flag

After Shen visited former Taipei City Council speaker Chen Chien-chih (陳健治), a veteran KMT heavyweight, to seek advice on city governance on Thursday last week, Chiang quickly followed suit and said his campaign had invited Chen to its headquarters on Nov. 12. However, after being criticized for asking the 82-year-old to travel, Chiang rushed to visit Chen at his home on Friday.

Many see Chiang’s moves as a frantic effort to catch up to his challenger, but he has struggled to replicate Shen’s methods or attract the support he wants. The real issue may lie in Chiang’s “professional arrogance,” something he had accused Shen of. His campaign has tried very hard to put “the mayor” at the center of attention, seeking to portray him as a member of the political elite who makes the best decisions for the public, while Shen puts “the people” at the center, focusing on bread-and-butter issues.

The mayoral race is no longer a choice between two major political parties, but a choice between two approaches to city decisionmaking — elitism or civic participation.