Taoyuan City councillor candidate Szu Kuang-yang has become embroiled in a controversy over his character — negative news for his campaign, and something that also reflects on the political standing of the family behind him.

• Political commentator Wu Ching-yi has made public a batch of screenshots said to show conversations between Szu Kuang-yang and female friends, containing language that insults and demeans women.
• When he registered his candidacy, Szu Kuang-yang said he had been subjected to extensive "smear attacks"; Wu Ching-yi countered by asking whether it can still be called a smear when the screenshots are right there in front of him.
• Wu Ching-yi has called on him to respond line by line: which sentence is fabricated? And if they are genuine, is he willing to admit it and apologise?
• The two were already at odds over earlier accusations that he had "smoked marijuana at university," and Szu Kuang-yang has filed a lawsuit against Wu Ching-yi.
• The pressure has also spread to Wan Mei-ling, who publicly endorsed her son, with calls for her to explain whether she is still willing to vouch for the candidate's character.

Outlook: If Szu Kuang-yang does not respond point by point to the content of the screenshots, the controversy over his character is expected to keep growing and to become a focal point of attack and defence in the Taoyuan election battle.