Browsing: Kaohsiung mayor race 2026

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.

The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Tainan mayoral primary has entered its final, high-stakes phase, setting up a head-to-head showdown between lawmakers Lin Chun-hsien and Chen Ting-fei.

Ko told the media that “Personal connections and factional backing won’t give Kaohsiung a better future,” and urged voters to reject entrenched party interests.

On Sunday, the four contenders — Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩), Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆), Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑), and Lin Tai-hua (林岱樺) — launched coordinated campaign blitzes across traditional markets and major districts to maximize exposure ahead of the Jan. 12-17 phone survey that will determine the candidate.

Lin Tai-hua (林岱樺) on Sunday forcefully rejected controversies surrounding her campaign, saying the attacks “insult voters’ intelligence.”

By KHT Staff – Image left: KMT Kaohsiung 2026 mayoral candidate legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), Right: DPP lawmaker Chiu Yi-ying…

By RK Shih/Staff -Image via UpMedia shows the three candidates, Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑), Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩), and Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆),…

Lin suggested that if the harbor project could attract approximately 2.3 million international tourists annually—roughly 6.5 percent of Paris’s inbound visitors—it could generate around NT$90 billion in tourism value each year.

The KMT has nominated Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) to run for Kaohsiung mayor, Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) for Tainan mayor, Legislator Su Ching-chuan (蘇清泉) for Pingtung County magistrate, and Taitung County Council Speaker Wu Hsiu-hua (吳秀華) for Taitung County magistrate.

Ko lost to Mayor Chen Chi-mai in 2022, but garnered just over 40% of the vote.