Taipei: Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Wednesday officially named Su Chiao-hui as its candidate for the New Taipei mayoral race, and Chen Pin-an as its candidate for the Miaoli County magistrate race in the 2026 local elections. At a press conference, Taiwan President and DPP Chairman Lai Ching-te announced the nominations after they were approved by the party’s Central Executive Committee on Wednesday.
According to Focus Taiwan, Su, 49, is the daughter of former Premier Su Tseng-chang and has represented a New Taipei district in the Legislature since 2016. She may face Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Shu-chuan of the Kuomintang (KMT), who is widely expected to run. Su expressed her readiness for the campaign, while Chen expressed gratitude to the DPP for the opportunity provided to a young person like herself.
Chen, 41, has served as a Miaoli County councilor since 2018. Both candidates will be contesting long-standing KMT strongholds. The KMT has controlled New Taipei-formerly Taipei County-since 2005, while Miaoli County has elected only KMT or KMT-aligned independent magistrates since the county’s establishment in 1950.
The KMT announced on Wednesday that its first batch of nominations will likely be finalized between January and February 2026. Taiwan’s next local elections are scheduled to take place on Nov. 28, 2026.
