Taiwan's ruling party is turning one legislator's budget-slashing into a campaign weapon against every KMT candidate in the November local elections, a negative for the opposition's local races.

• The DPP says KMT legislator Weng Hsiao-ling only gets away with deep budget cuts because her party backs her.
• It named 18 KMT candidates for mayor and county chief and told voters that backing them means backing her.
• The cuts that drew anger include money for holiday gift boxes bought from sheltered workshops that employ disabled workers, culture ministry and public TV funding, and a freeze on the premier's salary.
• Big names on the list include Taipei's Chiang Wan-an, New Taipei's Lee Ssu-chuan, Taoyuan's Chang San-cheng and Taichung's Chiang Chi-chen.

Outlook: Expect the DPP to keep making the opposition's budget cuts the central attack line through the November 28 vote.