TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Senior figures from the KMT’s Taichung factions on Thursday publicly endorsed Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) in the party’s primary race for Taichung mayor.

The press conference was organized by former Taichung County Magistrate Liao Liao-i (廖了以) and former Taichung County Council Speaker Lin Min-lin (林敏霖), per Mirror Media. Participants included former Taichung Mayor Hu Chih-chiang (胡志強), former Taichung City Council Speaker Chang Ching-tang (張清堂), Legislator Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒), lawmakers aligned with Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), TPP Secretary-General Chou Yu-hsiu (周榆修), and other local politicians.

The lineup signaled strong support for Chiang from Taichung-based KMT factions, as well as backing from the TPP.

Hu said he supported Chiang in part because Chiang had previously entered the KMT’s Taichung mayoral primary against Lu at his request, per NOWNews. After narrowly losing to Lu in polling, Hu said Chiang not only withdrew from the race but also joined Lu’s campaign team.

Hu said that just as Lu had surpassed him in governance, he believed Chiang could in turn surpass Lu. Commenting on Chiang’s rival, lawmaker Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔), Hu said that although the two are longtime friends, he had pledged his support to Chiang eight years ago.

Chou said Chiang had invited former TPP Chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) to participate in a housing justice forum hosted by a KMT think tank in 2021, per China Times. Calling Chiang an early proponent of opposition cooperation, Chou urged Chiang to continue Lu’s policies if elected mayor.

While the endorsements were announced, Chiang was meeting visiting Spanish lawmakers in Taichung, per Liberty Times. Responding to the show of support, he thanked senior political figures for their backing.

Yang also commented on the event, thanking those who had supported her political career, while saying she would continue campaigning for public support at her own pace, per Liberty Times.

The KMT is expected to conduct polling in the final week of March to determine its candidate for the Taichung mayoral race. Previous polls suggested Chiang performs better than Yang in a head-to-head matchup with DPP mayoral candidate Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純).