Taiwan's Chiayi County heads into a 2026 county chief race between two young rivals, a fight the ruling green camp has dominated for 25 years but that now faces a real challenge.

• The DPP's Tsai Yi-yu, a three-term lawmaker, is running on continuing the current administration's farming-and-tech development record.
• Independent Wu Pin-jui, the 40-year-old mayor of Puzih, is pulling the KMT and other non-green forces into one bloc to try to break that hold.
• Both come from political families, so the contest is less about pedigree than about whether voters want a change of party.
• Wu's pitch rests on turning Puzih's finances from heavy debt to surplus over eight years as mayor.
• Locals say uneven development across the county's 18 townships is the weak spot, with one-party rule blamed for stiff governance and lopsided spending.

Outlook: Expect a tight green-versus-everyone-else fight, with the non-green camp's ability to stay united deciding whether Chiayi flips.