Taiwan's ruling DPP has thrown its full weight behind Su Chiao-hui in the New Taipei mayoral race, a strong show of unity for the party but a direct challenge to the KMT's long grip on the city.

• Former president Tsai Ing-wen called Su a better candidate than she was when she ran for the same job 16 years ago and lost.
• President Lai Ching-te, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim and Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chi-mai all lined up to support her at the campaign launch in Banqiao.
• The DPP wants to break the KMT's 20-year hold on New Taipei, Taiwan's most populous city.
• Su is the daughter of former premier Su Tseng-chang, who once ran the same area, and has spent a decade in parliament pulling funding into local schools and projects.
• If she wins, she would be New Taipei's first woman mayor.

Outlook: New Taipei is shaping up as the marquee battleground of Taiwan's local elections, and the DPP is treating it as a test of national momentum.