Pingtung's next county chief election is shaping up as a rematch that favors the ruling party, though the challenger is clawing back ground.

• Chou Chun-mi, the sitting county chief from the DPP, beat KMT rival Su Ching-chuan by only about 11,000 votes last time and is running again with the advantage of incumbency.
• The DPP has run Pingtung for 28 years and still has more base support than the KMT there.
• Su's campaign stalled after a fire at the Antai hospital he founded killed nine people, with serious illegal building work at the site and a court case still going.
• Su is back on the attack over free health coverage for older people, schools, and heavy speed-camera fines, and has now promised free health coverage for children under six.
• Recent heavy rain and flooding in coastal towns has hurt the county government and pulled some KMT supporters back to Su.

Outlook: Chou stays the favorite on party base alone, but unhealed splits inside her own camp are the bigger threat than the opposition.