The DPP has locked in a stand-in candidate for the Penghu county chief race, a sign the party is scrambling to hold a seat it did not expect to defend.

• Wu Shu-chin filed her paperwork first, stepping in after Chen Kuang-fu was injured on the job and could not run.
• She is campaigning on continuity — keeping the current administration's building projects and welfare programs going.
• Legislator Yang Yao and other party figures showed up with her, signaling the DPP will put full weight behind the campaign.
• She framed the race as bigger than the islands, tying it to defending Taiwan's democracy.

Outlook: Expect a continuity-versus-change fight in Penghu, with the DPP leaning on sympathy and Chen Kuang-fu's record to carry a candidate voters barely know.