Independent Hualien county council speaker Chang Chun has been cleared in a 13-year corruption case and is now pushing his run for county chief — good news for the anti-Fu Kun-chi camp, but he still trails badly in the polls.

• Taiwan's supreme court threw out the prosecution's appeal, making his acquittal in an LED procurement case final.
• The DPP says it leans toward not naming its own candidate in Hualien, a strong hint it will back one of the independents.
• The race is a three-way contest among candidates who all come from the pan-blue side.
• July polling put the KMT's Yu Shu-chen — seen as Fu Kun-chi's successor — in front, with independents Wei Chia-hsien and Chang splitting the rest.
• Nearly a third of voters are still undecided, so the field can shift.

Outlook: Expect talks on a cross-party alliance between Chang and Wei, since neither can beat the KMT candidate alone.