TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang Deputy Legislative Speaker Chiang Chi-chen (江啟臣) announced Sunday that he will seek the party’s nomination to run for Taichung mayor.
Chiang praised incumbent Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), saying she has transformed Taichung into a “city of happiness,” and said he would work to elevate the city into a “flagship city,” per ETtoday. Asked whether he preferred a contested primary against Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) or a negotiated nomination, Chiang said the process would be decided by the party’s central leadership.
Questioned about whether he would resign as deputy speaker, Chiang said the nomination process has not yet been finalized and that his current focus is securing funding for local development projects, per Economic Daily News.
Yang responded by calling for cooperation rather than confrontation during the primary process, per Newtalk. She said she would invite Chiang to join her campaign team if she secures the KMT nomination.
Lu briefly commented on Chiang’s announcement, offering her congratulations, per Tai Sounds. KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said the party’s nomination process is already underway and will be completed in due course.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator and Taichung mayoral candidate Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純) also responded to Chiang’s announcement. Citing two recent polls showing Chiang leading her in hypothetical head-to-head matchups, Ho said she hoped he would not disappoint voters with his performance, per UDN.
Asked whether Chiang should resign as deputy speaker if he secures the nomination, Ho suggested his announcement may have been delayed due to suspected internal pushback within the KMT, per Newtalk. She said some party members may question whether Chiang can remain neutral while participating in the primary process.
Ho drew a comparison to former Deputy Legislative Speaker Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌), who ran as the DPP’s Taichung mayoral candidate in 2022 while remaining as deputy speaker. At the time, Citizen Congress Watch called on Tsai to resign.
Ho said Chiang may not enjoy the same understanding from Cheng as Tsai had with then–DPP Chair Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who allowed Tsai Chi-chang to remain in his post during the campaign.
When Yang announced her own bid for the KMT nomination, Ho acknowledged Yang’s strong support base and described her as a formidable opponent.
