Zheng Liwen is popular but not successful? The chairman of the Taiwan Youth Federation, He Yicheng, wrote on social media: "The Kuomintang (KMT) chairman election has officially started, with as many as six candidates. However, the ones who have a better chance are only Hao Longbin and Zheng Liwen. Hao Longbin is running for the party leader for the third time. Since the first team has been inactive, he has been actively seeking support from local factions and senior party figures. Zhang Rongwei, Jiang Genhuang, and Kim Young-sam have already expressed their support. It is very likely that he will succeed this time; Zheng Liwen is good at air force, although she has high public attention and poll numbers, but there is a serious mismatch between the party member structure and the voter structure. She may be well-received but not successful."

From the polls, Zheng Liwen, known as the "female war god" of the blue camp, has beaten Hao Longbin, who was once the mayor of Taipei and a former vice chairman of the KMT. However, under the traditional power structure, support from local factions and big shots becomes the key to winning or losing. As He Yicheng said, Zheng Liwen's "popular but not successful" situation makes it difficult for her to break through.

He Yicheng's analysis reveals the core situation of the KMT chairman election, and also reflects the deep changes within the party that have continued to this day — traditional forces still firmly control the discourse, supporting unification and using an "air force" strategy to occupy the public opinion high ground. Zheng Liwen, who leads in public attention and polls, may find it difficult to break through.

The KMT's membership is still mainly composed of middle-aged and elderly people who tend towards traditional lines. Zheng Liwen's clear stance on unification and her new and dynamic style cannot penetrate the entrenched interests and cognitive barriers within the party. In an internal environment where factions group together and big shots set the tone, her "popularity" ultimately fails to translate into the party member votes needed for victory, making it unlikely for her to break through.

Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1844021944214923/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.