TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — KMT Changhua County Branch Chair Hsiao Ching-tien (蕭景田) has called on Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝衣鳳) to withdraw from the party’s magistrate nomination race, citing continued opposition from her family.
Hsieh had been seen as a frontrunner for the KMT nomination, but her influential political family has voiced objections to her candidacy. Hsiao has also been reported to support former KMT Disciplinary Committee chair and lawyer Wei Ping-cheng (魏平政) as an alternative candidate, a move seen as potentially aiding his own political positioning.
Speaking with political commentator Huang Wei-han (黃暐瀚), Hsiao said Hsieh believed the party could help persuade her family if she secured the nomination, per Liberty Times. However, he argued that without family backing — particularly if Changhua County Council Speaker Hsieh Tien-lin (謝典霖) continues to hold her back — neither the party nor local leadership could effectively intervene.
Hsiao urged Hsieh to take her family’s concerns seriously and step aside despite her perceived electoral strength. Hsieh responded by reaffirming her intention to seek the party’s nomination, per Newtalk.
Other figures vying for the KMT nomination include Changhua County government counselor Ko Cheng-fang (柯呈枋) and former Deputy Magistrate Hung Jung-chang (洪榮章). A party insider said Changhua County Magistrate Wang Huei-mei (王惠美) had expressed interest in weighing in on the nomination process before departing for an official visit to Japan, per Tai Sounds.
The insider added that local political dynamics remain dominated by senior members of the Hsieh family, making it effectively impossible for the party to nominate Hsieh Yi-fong as it would risk losing local support.
TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) weighed in, saying retaining Changhua County is a priority for the opposition, per UP Media. He described Hsieh Yi-fong as the opposition’s strongest potential candidate despite local resistance.
Wei responded that there is broad consensus within the party that Hsieh will not ultimately run, per UDN. Wei said he has already begun outreach efforts among party supporters in Changhua County.
