The Changhua City mayor's race just got messier for both major parties, as a well-known local figure leaves the KMT to run on her own.

• Former county councillor Huang Yu-fen, known locally as the "Hornet Queen" for her bee-catching skills, has filed to leave the Kuomintang and is preparing to run as an independent.
• Her entry turns what was a straight KMT-versus-DPP fight into a three-way race for the year-end vote.
• She has run before and kept gaining ground: about 37,000 votes as an independent in 2018, and close to 40,000 as the KMT candidate in 2022.
• Her family says they judge her current base at roughly 40,000 votes, which is why she is going it alone.
• DPP candidate Huang Po-yu says he will keep working the grassroots regardless of the field; KMT candidate Chen Wen-pin says everyone has the right to run.

Outlook: If she formally registers, she is most likely to split the blue-leaning vote, giving the DPP the easier path in Changhua City.