The Taipei mayoral race has reached fever pitch, and Chiang Wan-an still holds the upper hand in street interviews — bad news for the DPP's Puma Shen.

• Residents who back Chiang Wan-an say he speaks in a less political way and argues clearly; others simply are not familiar with Puma Shen.
• Puma Shen's supporters, meanwhile, criticise Taipei for having made no progress in recent years.
• Most residents interviewed were unconcerned about the controversy over Chiang Wan-an's son going abroad on an exchange programme.
• New Taipei City has become this election's most critical battleground, with the latest polls showing Lee Si-chuan leading Su Chiao-hui by about 6 percentage points.
• Within the KMT, there is a view that the races in Chiayi City and Changhua County are tight, and party chair Cheng Li-wun has acknowledged that "there really are problems."

Outlook: With less than three months to go until polling day, the races in New Taipei City and southern Taiwan will be decisive for the blue-green map and will also signal the direction of the 2028 election.