DPP legislator Lai Jui-lung has formally registered as a candidate for mayor of Kaohsiung, winning the public endorsement of incumbent mayor Chen Chi-mai — a positive signal for the Green camp's succession planning in the city.

• Lai Jui-lung completed his mayoral candidacy registration at the Kaohsiung Election Commission on the morning of September 2.
• Chen Chi-mai attended alongside him, draping a sash over him and handing him a baseball bat as a symbol of securing victory.
• Chen Chi-mai's central message was that "only by choosing the right person can you take the right road," urging voters to continue the current administration's course.
• Chen Chi-mai said Lai Jui-lung had helped Kaohsiung with budgets and infrastructure both in the Legislative Yuan and locally, making him the best choice as successor.
• The two focused on Kaohsiung's journey from fishing village to heavy industry and on to industrial transformation, stressing that the transformation is not yet complete.

Outlook: The Kaohsiung mayoral race is now formally under way, and attention will shift to the candidates put forward by the KMT-TPP camp and how well they coordinate.