Taiwan's ruling DPP is shifting its attack on Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an from city policy to his personal image, a sign the party has largely written off winning the capital in the November local elections.

• With the 2026 local elections two months away, the DPP is going after Chiang's family background and conflict-of-interest questions rather than his record as mayor.
• Former Taipei deputy mayor Li Yung-ping reads this as an admission Chiang's re-election is safe, so the real goal is to damage him early and cap his rise before 2028.
• Chiang's son winning a city-funded student exchange spot has handed critics a "privilege" line, echoing the elite-kid backlash that sank Sean Lien in 2014.
• The opposition side has its own problems: KMT–TPP cooperation broke down over the Zhubei mayor race, and the bad blood is spilling into Yilan.
• In New Taipei, polling puts the KMT's Lee Ssu-chuan ahead of the DPP's Su Chiao-hui by under seven points, keeping that race live.

Outlook: Expect the attacks on Chiang to keep escalating, with the risk they backfire by driving his supporters to the polls.