Kaohsiung Mayoral Poll Shows Lead! 'Who Has Higher Support Between Lai Jui-long and Ko Chih-en?' Survey Results Are Stunning

As the year-end municipal elections approach, political dynamics in the port city of Kaohsiung are drawing significant attention. The ETTODAY Polling Center released today (20th) the latest public opinion survey on the Kaohsiung mayoral race, showing that Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Lai Jui-long holds a clear lead over Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Ko Chih-en in both voter support and perceived likelihood of victory.

Who Holds the Advantage in the Blue-Green Contest? Lai Jui-long Leads by Double Digits

According to polling data released by the ETTODAY Polling Center, when asked, 'In this year's Kaohsiung mayoral election, between Ko Chih-en of the KMT and Lai Jui-long of the DPP, who would you likely vote for?' Lai received 36.2% support, while Ko secured 23.6%. Lai leads by a substantial 12.6 percentage points.

In this survey, 7.4% of respondents said they would not vote or would cast a blank ballot, while 32.8% said they did not know or had not yet decided, indicating a significant portion of undecided and neutral voters remain for both parties to compete for.

Perceived Likelihood of Winning Shows a Clear Gap: Who Will Win Over Kaohsiung Voters?

Beyond direct support, the poll also measured voter sentiment on who is more likely to win. When asked, 'Regardless of who you vote for, who do you think will win the Kaohsiung mayoral election between Ko Chih-en and Lai Jui-long?' Lai's perceived likelihood of winning reached 40.4%, compared to Ko's 16.2%, widening the gap to 24.4 percentage points.

On this question, 43.4% of respondents answered 'don't know' or refused to answer, indicating many voters remain cautious and observant about the evolving election landscape.

Does Incumbency Help? Chen Chi-mai's Approval Rating Surpasses 80%

Election trends are often closely tied to the incumbent mayor's performance. This survey also assessed public satisfaction with the overall governance of current Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai. The results show that Chen received a high approval rating of 81%, with only 10.6% expressing dissatisfaction, and 8.5% saying they did not know or had no opinion.

With over 80% of citizens giving positive evaluations to the current administration, whether this 'performance dividend' can be effectively converted into votes for the DPP candidate will be a key factor in observing the future trajectory of the Kaohsiung election.

This survey was conducted by the ETTODAY Polling Center from July 16 to 18, 2026, using Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI). The target population consisted of Kaohsiung residents aged 20 and above. A stratified random sampling method was used, with administrative districts as strata. The sampling frame was built from residential telephone directories, with the last two digits of each number randomized to increase coverage and ensure representativeness. Data were weighted according to gender, age, and district demographics of Kaohsiung's adult population. At a 95% confidence level, the sampling error is within ±3.0 percentage points.