By KHT Staff. Images via 柯志恩 FB.
KAOHSIUNG — Kuomintang (KMT) Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) reportedly described a weekend campaign rally alongside Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) as a “major shot in the arm” for her election bid, citing an enthusiastic voter turnout in a district traditionally aligned with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
The two prominent KMT politicians hosted a temple talk event on Saturday evening at the Fengyi Temple (鳳儀宮) in Siaogang District (小港區). Local media and political observers widely consider the location the electoral stronghold of DPP Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆).
Speaking to reporters on Sunday morning while attending the campaign headquarters opening for KMT City Councilor Liu Te-lin (劉德林), Ko stated she was deeply moved by the crowd size in Siaogang. She noted that residents had gathered spontaneously to support Han and bolster her mayoral campaign.
According to Ko, the enthusiasm at the Saturday evening rally mirrored the high energy seen eight years ago during Han’s successful 2018 Kaohsiung mayoral campaign, which mobilized a massive wave of grassroots support across southern Taiwan.
Han, making his first appearance to stump for Ko in the current 2026 election cycle, delivered the closing remarks at the temple event. He reportedly became emotional when addressing the supporters, stating that the highly energized atmosphere from eight years ago had returned to the city.
“Starting from Siaogang, to truly feel this strong wind blowing in our direction and bringing such warmth is a very big shot in the arm for me,” Ko told reporters at the Sunday campaign event.
The weekend appearances mark an escalation in public campaign activities as candidates from both major political parties mobilize their bases and deploy high-profile surrogates ahead of the municipal elections.
