KAOHSIUNG (TVBS News) — The latest poll unveiled on Wednesday (Sept. 11) indicates that Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) leads the race for the 2026 Kaohsiung mayoral election, regardless of the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP, 民進黨) candidate.
As Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) will conclude his term in 2026, the TVBS Poll Center's latest survey also showed Ko's support ranges between 40% and 45%.
Several DPP legislators, including Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩), Lin Dai-hua (林岱樺), Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑), Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆), and former Labor Minister Hsu Ming-chun (許銘春), have expressed interest in running, whereas the KMT is likely to back Ko.
If Hsu represents the DPP, Ko receives 45% support from Kaohsiung residents, leading Hsu's 24% by a significant margin. An additional 31% remain undecided.
When matched against Lin and Lai, Ko garners 40% support, compared to their 35%. Hsu trails with 34% to Ko's 42%, while Chiu earns 34% against Ko's 43%.
The survey, conducted from Sept. 2 to 10 between 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., contacted 1,274 local residents aged 20 and over. Among them, 334 refused to participate, resulting in a refusal rate of 26.2%. The final valid sample comprised 940 respondents, selected through random digit dialing.
