TAIPEI (TVBS News) — With 11 days to go before the legislative by-election on Jan. 8, Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) hopeful Enoch Wu could be seen building his grassroots support in Taipei City on Thursday (Dec. 29).
Whether his efforts will pay off remains to be seen, though, as a recent poll conducted by TVBS shows his public's support at 37% while his opponent, Kuomintang Taipei City Councilor Wang Hung-wei remains slightly ahead at 49%.
Comparing the polls conducted a month before and 10 days before the by-election, Wang Hung-wei garnered more support from young voters aged between 20 and 29 from 39% to 49%, while Enoch Wu dropped from 59% to 33%.
In vying for the legislative seat left vacant by current Taipei City mayor Chiang Wan-an, the main candidates from the ruling DPP and opposition KMT have battled hard to campaign the streets of Zhongshan District and part of Songshan District.
The latest polls conducted by the DPP show Wang pulling ahead in both districts by close margins, which does not seem to be a main concern for Wu.
"My opponent and I are now only 1.9 percentage points apart," he said. "It is within the margin of error; this is a great encouragement to us."
Wu had made it clear in the beginning his wishes to run a clean campaign centered on policies instead of defamation.
However, one of his main policies center around the removal of Songshan airport, which wasn't well-received by the general public.
TVBS polls indicate that 49% of voters in the districts are against the proposal, while 27% express support and 23% had no opinion on the matter.
Despite the less than enthusiastic feedback, Wu remains optimistic and pointed out the most important thing is the final by-election and voter turnout on the big day.