TAIPEI, Taiwan — A document from the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Taipei branch has become a new point of discussion in the 2026 Taipei mayoral race after former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) deputy secretary-general Osmar Hsu published it online and questioned how the campaign organization of DPP candidate Puma Shen is mobilizing supporters.
The document reportedly outlines expected numbers of supporters that elected officials and party officials should help bring to Shen’s campaign headquarters event scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 4. Taiwan News reported that the document has become the focus of competing interpretations over whether the mobilization reflects routine party organization or raises questions about claims of grassroots enthusiasm.
What the Document Says
According to coverage by United Daily News, the document sets a combined mobilization target of 5,300 people for Shen’s campaign headquarters opening.
The reported breakdown includes quotas assigned to legislators, Taipei city council candidates and other party officials, as well as local ward-level organizers.
Hsu, who is now running for Taipei City Council under the TPP, argued that the document raises questions about how much of the expected attendance is being generated through formal party mobilization.
He also questioned how he obtained the document, arguing that its circulation could indicate problems within the DPP organization. Those claims are Hsu’s interpretation and have not been independently established as evidence of internal sabotage.
DPP Says Mobilization Is Part of Campaign Organization
DPP Taipei branch chair Wu Pei-yi offered a different explanation.
Wu said the document was circulated to party officials as part of efforts to reach supporters who may not be as connected to the party through social media. She said traditional grassroots outreach remains important even as campaigns increasingly use online platforms.
Wu also said the party’s goal is to expand its supporter base and strengthen face-to-face outreach ahead of the election.
The DPP has characterized the mobilization effort as an ordinary part of organizing a major campaign event rather than evidence that online interest in Shen is fabricated.
Shen Says Party Mobilization Is Normal
Shen has also defended the practice of party mobilization.
According to Taiwan News, he said it is normal for political parties to organize supporters for campaign activities and that the DPP is working to introduce him to more party supporters.
DPP legislator Chung Chia-pin similarly described the reported quotas as a way of ensuring that party supporters could attend the event.
He characterized the numbers as reserved participation rather than evidence that the entire crowd would necessarily consist of people brought in through compulsory mobilization.
The Dispute Over “50,000” Online Interest
The controversy intensified after Shen previously said that 50,000 people had attempted to secure access to his campaign headquarters event.
Hsu questioned whether that level of online interest was consistent with the need for formal grassroots mobilization.
The two sides have therefore offered different interpretations of the same campaign activity: Hsu has presented the document as evidence warranting questions about the campaign’s claimed momentum, while DPP officials have described the mobilization as a standard method of ensuring supporters can participate in a major political event.
Other Politicians Describe Mobilization as Routine
The issue has also drawn responses from politicians outside Shen’s campaign.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an described supporter mobilization as part of normal democratic campaign activity, while TPP chair Huang Kuo-chang similarly acknowledged that political parties generally seek large attendance at campaign rallies.
Those comments add another dimension to the dispute: while Hsu has questioned the circumstances surrounding the document, other political figures have emphasized that organized supporter mobilization itself is not unusual.
The Event Is Set for Sunday
Shen’s campaign headquarters opening is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 4, in Taipei. According to Taiwan News, the event area will extend between the intersections of Beiping East Road and Linsen North Road and Beiping East Road and Hangzhou North Road.
For the Taipei mayoral race, the episode illustrates how campaign events can become part of a wider debate over digital engagement, grassroots organization and traditional party networks.
The document itself establishes that the DPP planned a supporter-mobilization effort. The competing interpretations concern what that effort says about the broader level of public support for Shen — an issue that remains disputed among the political figures involved.
WWC ONE MEDIA G,A
