Taiwan's ruling DPP is rolling out a three-way star campaign for the year-end mayoral races, a sign the party knows it is on the back foot in the north and playing defense in the south.

• President Lai Ching-te, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim and former president Tsai Ing-wen are splitting up to stump for candidates city by city.
• Taipei and New Taipei are the attack front, with the party hoping buzz there spills over into Taoyuan and Yilan.
• In Taichung the DPP is going after the sitting mayor's record, betting a win there could pull nearby counties along.
• Tainan and Kaohsiung are treated as must-hold turf, where the focus is patching up local organization after bruising primaries.
• The opposition is targeting Kaohsiung as its big prize, so the DPP is grinding out neighborhood-level ground work there.

Outlook: Campaign headquarters openings through October, including Taipei's in early October, will show whether the DPP's online momentum turns into real votes.