Kuomintang (KMT) Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Ko Chih-en recruited former Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng as her campaign chair, while Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rival Lai Jui-lung named incumbent Mayor Chen Chi-mai to the same role. Ko extended the invitation in person in the city's Luzhu district on 13 September, accompanied by fellow KMT city councillors, and Wang accepted. Lai also invited former President 
Tsai Ing-wen to take an important role in his campaign.
What did Wang say? Wang said Kaohsiung was his hometown and had long been governed by the DPP, and that a new person and a new party in charge would make the city better, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported. He called Ko outstanding, said she had kept her word by staying rooted in Kaohsiung in the four years since her last mayoral bid, and said it was his duty to accept. Her resources might be thinner than the DPP's, a weakness, he said, but the situation gave her a chance to win and her personal qualifications were no weaker than anyone's.
Why did Ko choose him? Ko said Wang had helped clear the way for her throughout her mayoral run four years ago, and that she hoped he would now help rally supporters and organisations. The council candidates who joined her had all signed a request asking Wang to take the post, the Liberty Times reported. Wang said he was willing to "wade in" again because his hometown needed it.
How did Lai respond? Lai called Wang a senior figure in Kaohsiung, recalling Lunar New Year visits to Wang's family home when he headed a city department and advice he sought from him as a legislator, CNA reported. Wang had given him a great deal of encouragement, he said, adding that he would work to win support from all sides during the campaign. He said the city's progress in recent years was plain to see and that he wanted Kaohsiung to keep heading toward its "next golden decade".
What else happened on the campaign trail? Lai launched support groups in the Daliao, Hunei and Qianjin districts, while Ko held the founding rally of her Greater Gangshan friends' association and a singalong concert, CNA reported. Huang Jie and Lin Dai-hua, the Liberty Times reported, appeared on stage to back Lai's bid.
Figures referenced: Tsai Ing-wen. — JudgeMarket.
