A rift is showing inside Taiwan's KMT in Changhua, where the sitting county chief stayed away from her party's candidate's big campaign kickoff — a bad sign for party unity ahead of the local election.

• KMT candidate Wei Ping-cheng opened his campaign headquarters in Changhua City, with party chair Cheng Li-wun on hand.
• County chief Wang Hui-mei did not show up, and instead posted a photo on Facebook of herself holding her newborn granddaughter.
• Her post laid out a wish list for Changhua — a metro line, a new central library, a big dome venue, and local metal-valve and precision machinery firms staying strong in world markets.
• Cheng used her speech to push the "a united family prospers" line, a clear nod to the party infighting on display.

Outlook: The KMT will keep pressing for a show of unity in Changhua, but Wang's absence points to friction that could dog Wei through the campaign.