By RK Shih / Staff
KAOHSIUNG — The 2026 Kaohsiung mayoral race escalated on Tuesday as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) and Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) clashed publicly over budget disputes, policy substance, and what each side says Kaohsiung really needs from its next mayor.
Lai accused Ko of offering “no concrete policies” for the city, arguing that the opposition-led standoff over the central government’s 2026 budget in the Legislative Yuan is delaying critical funding and directly harming Kaohsiung residents. He said the city cannot afford political obstruction that slows infrastructure investment and public services. Ko fired back by dismissing what she described as headline-driven politics, saying her campaign would focus on governance rather than symbolic gestures
Ko took aim at ideas such as promoting Kaohsiung through star-studded events, quipping that “inviting Taylor Swift” is not a substitute for serious policy planning.
During the DPP primary campaign, Lai reportedly said several times that if he were elected Kaohsiung mayor, he would work to invite American pop star Taylor Swift to Kaohsiung for a concert; an idea that won him both high praise and cynical criticism.
Ko also defended the opposition’s position in the budget fight. She further criticized Lai’s stance on the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財劃法), accusing him of siding reflexively with the central government instead of pushing harder for Kaohsiung’s fiscal autonomy.
The exchange highlights early fault lines in the race, with funding priorities, ties to Taipei, and the balance between political spectacle and policy detail emerging as key themes in the contest to lead southern Taiwan’s largest city.
