As the New Taipei City mayoral race enters its campaigning phase, Kuomintang candidate Li Si-chuan has been sending out an optimistic message — good news for his supporters, and pressure on the Green camp.

• With outside polls showing Su Chiao-hui slightly ahead, Li responded that his own camp's polling has consistently led, by a margin beyond the error range.
• He stressed that "the real poll is in people's hearts," saying he has canvassed all 29 districts and that public responses have been mostly positive.
• Faced with calls to "give someone else a turn," he pointed to Hou Yu-ih's eight years of high approval ratings, arguing that you don't swap out the master craftsman midway through the job.
• Weak support among voters under 40 is a vulnerability; he has shifted to a message of "ability, not age," citing his role in securing Nvidia's decision to stay in Taiwan as a record of achievement.

Outlook: With the two sides citing competing polls, the contest ahead will be fought over young voters and local organizational mobilization.