Taiwan's local election race in Taoyuan is heating up, with both major parties formally launching their campaigns — neutral for now, but a key test of momentum for the KMT and DPP.

• KMT Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-cheng registered for re-election through proxies rather than showing up himself.
• His campaign will be run by splitting the city into zones, each overseen by one of Taoyuan's six KMT lawmakers.
• The KMT is framing Chang as focused on running the city, leaving the campaigning to his team.
• The DPP pushed back the same day, registering seven city council candidates at once and aiming to sweep them all in.
• The DPP hopes a strong council slate lifts turnout for its own mayoral candidate, Huang Shih-chieh.

Outlook: Expect both parties to escalate ground-level organizing in Taoyuan as the local election campaign formally gets underway.