Browsing: Kaohsiung mayor race 2026

Kaohsiung, Tainan and Pingtung all lean DPP, but their 2026 local races will be shaped by different candidates, issues and local political networks.

Southern Taiwan entered a fifth day of recurring heavy rain Monday, with coastal flooding in Kaohsiung, reduced transport services and continued landslide warnings.

Ko Chih-en toured pumping stations and flooded neighborhoods as prolonged rainfall strained drainage systems across Kaohsiung.

A Kaohsiung poll puts Mayor Chen Chi-mai’s job approval at 83.5%, but the landline survey is a measure of reported sentiment, not a forecast of November’s mayoral race.

Kaohsiung expects more shared tax revenue in 2027 but says a larger loss of central project grants will leave its overall budget NT$4.9 billion smaller. The opposition Kuomintang (KMT) disputes that explanation, arguing that the law increased Kaohsiung’s share of national tax revenue and that the reduction in project grants was a separate decision by the central government.

Chen Chi-mai’s new book recounts six years of Kaohsiung projects, political negotiations and late-night calls that former president Tsai Ing-wen jokingly described as “torture.”

The Big Media poll points to a question that has followed Lai’s campaign for months: Why has he not built a more comfortable lead in a city where the DPP holds the mayor’s office, all eight district legislative seats and a strong local organization?

Mayor says he will finish his term amid speculation he could be promoted.

By KHT Staff. Images via 柯志恩 Facebook page. KAOHSIUNG — KMT Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) on Tuesday proposed…

Polls have varied widely. In early June, one had Lai at 45% and Ko trailing at 25%. Not long after, another poll put Lai at 40.3% and Ko at 39.7%. The spread between those results highlights how unreliable polling can be, and the latest poll is better read as evidence that the race may be tightening.