Han Kuo-yu's National Day off-script is just a microcosm. Scholars: Infighting in the blue camp and "these things" may bring down Jiang Qichen's election.

Legislative Yuan Hanguo-yu recently gave an unscripted performance at the National Day ceremony. He not only mentioned the recall and the political dispute between the government and the opposition, but also elaborated on the ideological differences of the Chinese people, saying that "some Taiwanese want to turn Taiwan into the 31st province of China." People from all walks of life were in an uproar. In this regard, scholars now point out that Vice President of the Legislative Yuan Jiang Qichen will run for mayor of Taichung at the end of the year. Although the existing traditional party votes still exist, the internal fighting in the blue camp and Lu Xiuyan's governance performance may become the "X factor" that will influence the election and even help opponent He Xinchun overtake.

The Taichung Friends of Trust in Taiwan held the "2026 Taichung Mayoral Election Poll Release Press Conference" today (12) to announce the latest polls for Taichung mayoral candidates. Taichung City Councilor Lin Deyu from the Democratic Progressive Party, Fan Shiping, a professor at the National Taiwan Normal University's Institute of Political Science, and Kuo Yu-jen, deputy director of the Institute of National Policy, attended the presentation.

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Guo Yuren bluntly said that the biggest crisis in Jiang Qichen's Taichung mayoral election is "the situation within the Kuomintang party." He pointed out that the current internal strife in the Blue Camp is extremely serious. First of all, the Kuomintang Legislative Yuan Guo Yutuo performed "unscripted" at my country's National Day Ceremony last Saturday (10th). Although this incident was ridiculous and cliché, it accurately reflected the current situation within the Blue Camp; In addition, KMT Chairman Cheng Lai-wen's role in this election has been "completely diluted." Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan's re-election chances continue to decline. His neighbor from the same party, New Taipei City Mayor Hou Youyi, "watched the fight from the other side" and did not help Jiang's candidacy.

Fan Shiping, a professor at the Institute of Political Science at National Taiwan Normal University, said that the Kuomintang mayor of Taichung, Lu Hsiu-yan, has been in power for nearly eight years. Although she was regarded as a "five-star mayor" in the past, a survey on the satisfaction of county and city chiefs published by "Tianxia Magazine" last month found that Taichung residents' satisfaction with Lu was at the bottom. Not only was she second to last in the country, she was "the bottom of the six cities" and not as good as Yilan County, where former county magistrate Lin Zhimiao was suspended for corruption and is now governed by an acting county magistrate.

Fan Shiping questioned whether Lu Xiuyan's governance assets could be successfully "passed" to Jiang Qichen if her governance performance deteriorates. I'm afraid it's just "changing the soup without changing the medicine." Instead, the opponent, Democratic Progressive Party candidate He Xinchun, will use his pursuit advantage to "change the long-term rule of the Kuomintang."