Taiwan's Blue-Green election battle is heating up early, and warning signs have emerged for Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an's re-election bid — bad news for the Kuomintang.

• Legislative Yuan Speaker Han Kuo-yu departed from his prepared remarks at the Double Ten National Day ceremony to single out the Lai Ching-te administration for criticism over the mass recall campaign and the dispute about refusing to countersign legislation.
• Observers read his decision to open fire at an event he himself was presiding over as primarily an effort to shore up deep-Blue support and lay the groundwork for 2028.
• With Chiang Wan-an recently mired in controversy, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen is now Han Kuo-yu's only remaining potential rival within the party.
• The latest polls show the gap between Chiang Wan-an and Democratic Progressive Party candidate Puma Shen has narrowed sharply to single digits, turning the capital into a hard-fought race.
• Lai Ching-te, for his part, warned the Green camp that disinformation and cognitive manipulation will intensify in the final stretch of the campaign, calling for verification and clarification at the first sign of them.

Outlook: With less than two months to go before the nine-in-one local elections, the Taipei contest is expected to grow even more heated, and the Blue camp may need to adjust its campaign tempo.