Lee Shu-chuan, the opposition candidate trailing in the race to run New Taipei, Taiwan's most populous city, delivered a stronger than expected performance at the campaign's official televised debate on November 13, 2026, according to a Taipei political communication scholar, with 15 days left before the 2026 Taiwan local elections.
Lee, of the Kuomintang (KMT), faced Su Chiao-hui of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and independent candidate Su Hui-huang at the policy forum hosted by the New Taipei City Election Commission. Niu Tse-hsun, a professor of advertising at Chinese Culture University, wrote on Facebook after the event that Lee had "beaten expectations and already pulled off three big surprises," adding that his clear strategy and above-par showing had won him points.
Su Holds An 8.4 Point Lead In The Latest Poll
The debate came as Lee works to close a polling gap. A Fengcan Media survey released the same morning put Su at 44% and Lee at 35.6%, an 8.4-point lead, Storm Media reported. Among respondents who said they will definitely vote, Su's lead widened to 11 points, 47.7% to 36.7%, and she was ahead in 10 of the city's 11 council districts. The poll, designed by National Taiwan University political scientist Chang Yu-tzung, surveyed 2,033 eligible voters from November 4 to 10 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.17 percentage points.
Other surveys tell a mixed story. A Mirror News poll gave Su a 14.9-point lead, 47.7% to 32.8%, Taiwan News reported. A United Daily News poll released on November 9 had the race much closer, at 42% for Su and 39% for Lee, and found slightly more voters expected Lee to win. Some commentators, including psychiatrist and political writer Shen Cheng-nan, argue that polls not weighted by party affiliation may overstate Su's lead.
New Taipei, a city of more than 4 million people that wraps around the capital Taipei, has been run by the KMT since it became a special municipality in 2010. Incumbent Mayor Hou Yu-ih is term-limited. Lee, a former Taipei deputy mayor, is the joint candidate of the KMT and the smaller opposition Taiwan People's Party. Su is a legislator and the daughter of former Premier Su Tseng-chang. Voters go to the polls on November 28.
A Calm Start Gave Way To Sharp Closing Attacks
The forum followed a set format of opening statements, questions from a panel, and closing statements. It did not include direct cross-examination between candidates, but Lee and Su still clashed several times.
Lee built his pitch around getting things built. He cited his record as a city official, including helping tackle flooding in New Taipei and speeding up completion of the Taipei Dome, and pledged to launch a "New Taipei Dome" and a smaller indoor arena in Banqiao within four years.
Su made regional balance and civic pride her theme and pointed to results from her time in the legislature: the start of construction on the Wanda-Zhonghe-Shulin MRT line, the completion of the Sanying light rail line, and the early opening of Fengming Station on the Taiwan Railway.
The tone sharpened in the closing round. Su mocked Lee for calling himself a transport expert while getting the route of bus 307 wrong, a reference to an August gaffe in which Lee said the busy cross-city route uses the freeway, which it does not, SETN reported at the time. Lee pressed Su over an investment controversy involving a startup where her younger sister serves as a director. The company received funding from the state-run National Development Fund, and the opposition says the family ties were not properly disclosed. Su has said her sister is not the company's responsible person and that the required forms were filled out truthfully, World Journal reported.
Niu Says Lee Shed His Image As A Weak Speaker
Niu's first surprise was that Lee barely looked at his notes. Instead, he used placards to boil his policies down and explained them with hand gestures, breaking the stereotype that he is an awkward speaker lacking verbal charm, Niu wrote.
The second was how Lee handled the legacy of his party's two previous New Taipei mayors, Eric Chu and Hou Yu-ih. He credited their achievements while setting out his own administrative expertise and his record as deputy mayor under the heads of several of Taiwan's six special municipalities. In Niu's view, that balance let Lee present himself as a successor without letting his predecessors overshadow his own strengths.
Lee Paired Attacks On The Cabinet With Direct Answers
The third surprise, Niu wrote, was that Lee mixed offense and defense throughout. On the attack, he widened the fight to the central government, criticizing the Cabinet for refusing to countersign bills passed by the legislature and questioning why promised central subsidies for New Taipei's MRT projects had not come through.
He also accused Su of failing to vote in the legislature for a subsidy on seniors' National Health Insurance premiums, and of appearing to oppose amendments to the law that divides tax revenue between the central and local governments, changes that would increase New Taipei's budget.
On defense, Lee answered Su's challenges head-on, from the bus 307 jab to a controversy involving his younger brother. Niu said this showed Lee was willing to be scrutinized and could withstand it, drawing a contrast with Su.
The assessment is Niu's own reading of the debate. With the latest polls still showing Su ahead, the final two weeks of the 2026 Taiwan local elections campaign will test whether Lee's debate showing can move voters in Taiwan's largest city.
