Author: Eryk Michael Smith

Eryk Michael Smith is a journalist with over a decade of experience working for local and international outlets. He is also the co-host of The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files, and co-founder of Plum Rain Press. The Kaohsiung Times is Smith's latest project, and aims to provide more southern Taiwan-centric news in English.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) won a narrow victory on Monday, edging out fellow legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) by just 0.6188 percentage points to become the 2026 DPP nominee, according to party headquarters. Lai will now face Kuomintang nominee Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) in the November 2026 mayoral race, as the DPP seeks to extend its decades-long hold on the southern port city.

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