Battle lines for Taiwan's 2026 local elections are being drawn early, with both the KMT and the DPP weighing cross-municipality cooperation — an early signal for voters of where the campaign is heading.

• Some within the KMT have proposed replicating the party's winning formula from 2022 by having Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung and Taoyuan campaign together as a "Taipei–New Taipei–Keelung–Taoyuan alliance."
• Su Chiao-hui, the DPP's candidate for New Taipei mayor, responded that candidates in each city and county would retain their own distinct identities: "Each city and county has its own beauty, and together they make up the best of Taiwan."
• She stressed that New Taipei has mountains, coastline, urban districts and rural areas, and abundant resources, and that it both competes and cooperates with other municipalities — joining hands when the time calls for cooperation.
• The DPP is playing up a new generation of candidates, holding back-to-back rallies in recent days in Taipei, New Taipei, Yilan, Taoyuan, Chiayi and Nantou, with candidates appearing at one another's events.
• Wen Shih-cheng, the party's candidate for Nantou county magistrate, voiced his support as a longtime acquaintance from the dental association, highlighting the mobilising role of local professional bodies.

Outlook: joint city-and-county campaigning will be a central theme of the race, with the KMT pursuing an integrated alliance and the DPP emphasising each locality's own character alongside mutual support.