TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Hsinchu County Deputy Magistrate Chen Chien-hsien (陳見賢) invited mayors from all 13 municipalities within the county to thank them for their support during the KMT primary, fueling speculation that he may run as an independent.

Zhubei Mayor Cheng Chao-fang (鄭朝方), a potential DPP candidate for county magistrate, also attended the event, per Liberty Times. When asked whether he would run as the party’s nominee, Cheng said the party would select the strongest candidate.

Speaking about the gathering, Chen said it was intended to thank the mayors for their support. Responding to questions about a possible independent bid, he stressed his loyalty to the KMT and said he had already congratulated his primary opponent, Legislator Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩), on her victory.

While KMT's post-primary consolidation in Hsinchu County has been slow, Hsu met Chen in person on April 7 and received his goodwill. Meanwhile, Cheng’s willingness to run has reportedly declined, raising concerns within the DPP and drawing attention from President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), per Mirror Media.

Local political observers said that if the KMT successfully unifies after a contentious primary, the DPP risks losing both the county magistrate race and control of Zhubei. A source close to Cheng said he would have little chance in the 2026 local elections unless Chen enters the race as an independent, creating a three-way contest.

Chen’s supporters said the DPP would need Cheng as its candidate to remain competitive, warning that any alternative could lead to a similar outcome to the KMT primary, per ETtoday.

According to a recent Era survey, Hsu leads Cheng by 5.8 percentage points, with 36.6% support, per Newtalk. Among voters with a college education or higher, Cheng leads with 38.6%, compared with Hsu’s 33.6%.

Cheng leads Hsu in Zhubei and in Baoshan, Wufeng and Jianshi townships, but trails in other municipalities. The poll was conducted April 6-7 among 1,072 respondents and has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

The TPP also responded to speculation that Cheng may not run as the DPP county magistrate candidate, per China Times. Hsinchu City Deputy Mayor Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠), who could challenge Cheng for the mayoral race, said the TPP would field its strongest possible candidate.