“If he is to go on and become an island-wide politician, he’s going to have to deal with senior people [in the parties],” Goldstein said.
The tension between Taiwan, which China regards as a rebel province, and the Beijing government did not emerge as an issue in the mayoral contest.
Kirby said debate about cross-strait relationship was noticeably absent from the race, which focused on city governance.
Ma’s campaign also remained impervious to Lee’s attempt to raise an often contentious ethnic issue. In Taiwan, those who are descendants from parents who fled a Maoist mainland China often come under question about their loyalties to the island.
Ma, whose parents left the mainland following Mao Zedong’s rise to power, said he would be on the side of the Taiwanese public and focus on Taipei’s problems, not the province’s.
“In a mature democracy, candidates should appeal to concrete policies instead of populism,” Ma said before the election.