The race for New Taipei mayor is tight, and both candidates spent the day courting different voter blocs — good news for anyone hoping this seat is genuinely competitive.

• Su Chiao-hui of the DPP picked up backing from four pharmacy industry groups, with Chen Shih-chung appearing at her side for the second time.
• Her pitch is health care: a system to shuffle medicines between pharmacies in an emergency, bigger subsidies for local drugstores, and extra pay for medical staff in remote areas.
• Lee Szu-chuan of the KMT toured Keelung with mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang and promised rail links to unclog traffic between Keelung, New Taipei and Taipei, plus a large indoor children's play center.
• Polls have the two roughly even, and independent Su Hui-huang adds a wild card, though he is unlikely to pull many swing voters.
• Turnout interest is low this year, so the real deciding factor is popular sitting mayor Hou Yu-ih and how hard his ground network works for Lee.

Outlook: Expect both camps to keep trading local promises, with the DPP closer to winning New Taipei than it has been in twenty years.