Taiwan's 2026 local election fight is turning into a blame war over budget cuts, with both sides framing the other as dishonest.

• The DPP is telling voters that backing the KMT's eight mayoral and county candidates means endorsing KMT lawmaker Weng Hsiao-ling and her party's cuts to the central government budget.
• KMT lawmakers hit back that the cuts were small — only 1.6% of the total budget — and that the DPP is twisting the numbers for votes.
• The KMT also accuses the DPP of using welfare groups as political props by comparing the presidential office's discretionary fund to money for sheltered workshops.
• Blue camp figures argue the stock market's climb past 45,000 has nothing to do with a decade of DPP rule, pointing to weaker power supply despite the green energy push.
• The KMT's own message: only opposition unity can win in 2026 and force a change of ruling party in 2028.

Outlook: Expect both camps to keep fighting over the budget narrative as the local elections approach, with the DPP under pressure from polls that currently look unfavorable.