Browsing: Mayoral race 2026

The visit came as Tsai has remained highly visible on social media after leaving office, with recent appearances alongside Democratic Progressive Party candidates in other parts of Taiwan.

By Eryk Michael Smith / Staff KAOHSIUNG — With his second term nearing its end, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁)…

Notably, 68% of Kuomintang (KMT) supporters expressed satisfaction with his performance, while approval among Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) supporters exceeded 93%.

A brief meeting between the KMT’s Ko Chih-en and the TPP’s Ko Wen-je is drawing attention amid ongoing speculation over a possible KMT–TPP alignment in Kaohsiung, where the race between Ko and the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) will likely narrow despite Lai currently enjoying a large lead in many polls.

Political analyst and lawyer Ross Feingold explained to Kaohsiung Times that “Criminal case judgments are available online, including the judgment in Huang’s case. In other words, the judgment was available to anyone who had bothered to search the court database for Huang’s name, making it likely someone brought this to the attention of the media now in order to damage Huang’s chances of winning a nomination”.

Referring to Chen’s impending departure from city hall later this year, the president said Chen would not be able to relax for long and should be mentally prepared, adding that he would likely shoulder additional responsibilities for Taiwan at the central level.

The contest for southern Taiwan’s largest city is widely seen as one of the most closely watched local races of 2026, with both camps testing whether long-standing political patterns in Kaohsiung will hold or are beginning to bend.

The KMT’s Ko says up to three city districts could be evaluated for cooperation with “friendly parties,” including the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) or independents, to maximize the overall vote.

By Eryk Michael Smith / Staff KAOHSIUNG — Ten years after surviving the 2016 TransAsia Airways Flight 235 crash, former…

The 2026 Kaohsiung mayoral race heated up on Feb. 3 as DPP candidate Lai Jui-lung and KMT candidate Ko Chih-en traded sharp criticism over stalled budget negotiations, policy substance, and Kaohsiung’s relationship with the central government, with Ko dismissing what she called “inviting Taylor Swift” spectacles in favor of what she described as serious governance.