KMT legislator Ko Chih-en has formally registered to contest the 2026 Kaohsiung mayoral race, with the KMT and the TPP appearing together at her campaign event, posing a fresh challenge to the long-governing DPP.

• Ko went to the Kaohsiung Election Commission to register on the 3rd, with former Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng on hand to show his support, calling on supporters to unite and pool all their strength to help her win by a wide margin.
• Lin Yu-kai, a TPP candidate for the Kaohsiung City Council, also attended, signalling a posture of "blue-white cooperation," with cross-party alliance shaping up as a focal point of this election.
• Ko took 530,000 votes in her losing bid four years ago. This time her central message is "breaking the factional structure," stressing that she belongs to no faction and that the city's residents are her only backing.
• She pointed to having covered all 38 administrative districts and worn out nearly four pairs of canvas shoes as evidence of her grassroots work, and held up a pair of boxing gloves to symbolise her challenge to Kaohsiung's entrenched political structure.

Outlook: Whether the KMT and the TPP can genuinely consolidate into a single front in Kaohsiung will be the key factor in determining whether this race is competitive.