Cooperation between the Taiwan People's Party and the Kuomintang in the local elections is breaking down — bad news for Blue-camp candidates, but one more option for supporters of a third force.

• TPP founding chairman Ko Wen-je has stated that in the race for Zhubei city mayor, Chiu Chen-yuan "will only see it through to the end," because Zhubei is where the party enjoys its highest level of support nationwide.
• Blame for the collapse of Blue-White coordination has been placed on the Kuomintang, on the grounds that it is always the TPP that is asked to give way for the sake of the bigger picture.
• The TPP's Changhua County party branch plans to field its deputy director, Lai Yin-chu, as a candidate for Changhua county magistrate, and Ko Wen-je expressed his support on the spot.
• Political observers read this as using Changhua as a bargaining chip for Zhubei. The Kuomintang's Changhua candidate, Wei Ping-cheng, was already faring poorly, and one more candidate in the race only adds to his difficulties.
• If Zhubei ends up as a four- or five-way scramble, the resulting sentiment could spill over and affect even the race for Hsinchu county magistrate.

Outlook: whether Huang Kuo-chang and Cheng Li-wun can reach a deal quickly will determine whether the Blue and White camps advance separately but strike together in several cities and counties, or each climb the mountain on their own.