New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih has publicly backed Kuomintang candidate Lee Shih-chuan — good news for the blue camp's efforts to consolidate, and bad news for others hoping to enter the race.

• During a general interpellation session at the city council, Hou said bluntly that he had already made his position public, and had personally accompanied Lee Shih-chuan to the election commission to register his candidacy.
• He said he supports people who work hard, understand the grassroots, and genuinely get things done.
• City Councillor Li Weng Yueh-o also threw her support behind Lee Shih-chuan, citing his record on engineering and flood control projects in Taipei County, Kaohsiung and Taipei.
• Lee Shih-chuan pledged to carry on the projects Hou Yu-ih has left unfinished, including the 10,000-ping hospital in Luzhou, the Lushe Bridge, and an expansion of the senior citizens' card programme.

Outlook: Hou Yu-ih's endorsement gives Lee Shih-chuan an early foothold within the blue camp, and the New Taipei race is set to shift toward a contest over policy continuity and cross-party appeal.