A fight between Taiwan's KMT and TPP over the Zhubei mayor's race is spilling into neighboring Hsinchu City, and it is bad news for both parties' hopes of a joint 2026 ticket.

• KMT-backed Hsinchu City candidate Ho Chih-yung attacked TPP figure Chiu Chen-yuan, asking how someone who did a poor job as acting mayor can now run for Zhubei mayor.
• Chiu ran Hsinchu City for a year and a half while Mayor Ann Kao was suspended over a corruption conviction, and city rankings came in near the bottom.
• Ho mocked Chiu for five foreign trips in seven months, asking what Hsinchu got out of visits to South Korea, Japan, Palau and Singapore.
• Ho also pinned the poor record back on Kao, since she personally picked Chiu as her deputy.
• The public sniping is read as a sign the KMT-TPP deal in Zhubei is dead and may drag down cooperation in Hsinchu City too.

Outlook: Expect more open attacks between the two parties in Hsinchu as both stop pretending a joint candidate is coming.