Taiwan's ruling party is going all-in early on New Taipei City, a sign it sees the 2026 local elections as a serious fight.

• President Lai Ching-te and former president Tsai Ing-wen appeared together at the opening of Su Chiao-hui's campaign headquarters in Banqiao, drawing a crowd of more than 20,000 in the rain.
• Su is running to become New Taipei's first woman mayor after ten years in the legislature; Lai called her a gentler version of her father, former premier Su Tseng-chang.
• Lai argued New Taipei, Taiwan's largest city with over 4 million people, should not be a satellite of Taipei or a stepping stone for an ambitious politician.
• Su's pitch centers on developing all 29 districts, care for the young and elderly in outlying areas, and using AI and green tech to help small businesses.
• Lai admitted the opposition is strong and pressed supporters for unity, even while claiming the DPP has the better odds.

Outlook: This is the first campaign headquarters opened anywhere in Taiwan for this election cycle, signaling a long and closely fought race for New Taipei.