Browsing: Mayoral race 2026

Judicial Reform Party mayoral candidate Chang Ching has proposed removing Kaohsiung’s former railway station building, putting the light rail underground and making public transportation free. No costs or implementation schedules were released.

KMT mayoral candidate Ko Chih-en is preparing for her first major Fongshan rally, while DPP rival Lai Jui-lung is backing a proposed NT$150 million gymnastics training center. Here is the latest from Kaohsiung’s 2026 election campaign.

Following heavy rain and reports of potholes across Kaohsiung, author Shen Nai-hsun argues that the city must explain how repairs will be funded and completed. However, funds carried forward in government accounts should not automatically be described as unspent money available for immediate use.

Four incumbent councilors face no challengers in Kaohsiung’s District 6, but each must still clear a minimum vote threshold to be elected.

A China Times commentator questions whether the DPP’s treatment of Kaohsiung has depended on which party controls City Hall.

Ko also wrote a card saying, “Mayor Chen, I’ll take care of Kaohsiung. It’s your turn to travel around the world,” according to the KMT caucus. The message referred to her bid to succeed him, but the card was not ultimately presented with the backpack.

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

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.