Taiwan's Taichung mayoral race is heating up, with the KMT framing the vote as a choice between war and peace — bad news for the DPP's local campaign.

• Taichung mayor Lu Shiow-yen used a memorial for the 1958 Kinmen artillery battle to attack "Taiwan independence" politics, saying a leader pushing that line risks dragging the island into war.
• She pointed out that President Lai Ching-te has visited Taichung four times in a month to boost the DPP candidate, and asked the crowd whether independence supporters should be allowed to take the city.
• She endorsed KMT deputy legislative speaker Chiang Chi-chen as her successor and tied it to 2028, saying the party must not be divided.
• A recent poll puts Chiang ahead of the DPP's Ho Hsin-chun, though a fifth of voters are still undecided.

Outlook: Expect the KMT to keep running Taichung as a national security referendum ahead of the 2026 local elections, with Lu positioning herself for a 2028 presidential run.