TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said Wednesday the opposition would have its best chance of victory in Hsinchu if Hsinchu Mayor Kao Hung-an (高虹安), KMT Legislator Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩), and Hsinchu Deputy Mayor Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) ran respectively for Hsinchu mayor, Hsinchu County magistrate, and Zhubei mayor.
Huang said he had informed Hsu that he hoped Chiu would become the opposition's candidate in the Zhubei mayoral race, per Tai Sounds. He added that KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) had made commitments to him during previous discussions on the issue.
Huang declined to elaborate, saying Cheng needed space to communicate with local KMT members. He argued that because the TPP received the highest presidential and party-list vote share in the area during the 2024 general election, nominating Chiu for Zhubei mayor would provide the strongest path to victory.
KMT Hsinchu County Councilor Wu Hsu-chih (吳旭智) secured the party's nomination on Monday, per UP Media. Hsinchu County Magistrate Yang Wen-ke (楊文科) said he had recommended using opinion polls to determine a jointly backed opposition candidate, per UDN.
Wu and TPP Hsinchu County Councilor Lin Shuo-yen (林碩彥) both expressed support for Yang's proposal, per Liberty Times. Lin had previously indicated interest in competing with Chiu in a primary for the TPP nomination but withdrew after the party directly nominated Chiu.
Responding to Wu's nomination, Chiu said the TPP had not yet begun formal negotiations with any party and congratulated Wu on securing the KMT nomination, per Storm Media. Chiu has previously expressed confidence that he could emerge as the strongest opposition candidate in the Zhubei mayoral race, per Liberty Times.
Meanwhile, DPP Hsinchu County Branch Chair Su Jen-chien (蘇仁鑑) declined to comment on Wu's nomination, saying that selecting the party's candidate for Zhubei mayor remained his top priority, per Liberty Times.
Previous reports suggested the DPP was considering asking New Power Party Chair Wang Wan-yu (王婉諭) to run for Zhubei mayor with the party's backing, per UDN. Wang, however, recently said she has never considered seeking the position, per Mirror Media.
