Could Tainan's Political Landscape Shift? Hsieh Long-chieh Reveals DPP Internal Struggles: Some Want Me to Block Chen Ting-fei

The 2026 Tainan mayoral election is gaining momentum, with Kuomintang (KMT) legislator Hsieh Long-chieh running against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Chen Ting-fei. Observers are watching closely to see if the long-standing green camp dominance in Tainan might be weakening.

Hsieh Long-chieh, in an exclusive interview on the online program 'Zhongwu Lai Kai Hui' today (21), stated that his current support level starts at 43.6%. He also claimed that the DPP still faces internal integration challenges, with some green camp forces secretly hoping he can 'block Chen Ting-fei'.

Hsieh recalled that four years ago, when he ran for Tainan mayor, most polls showed him trailing significantly—some final surveys indicated double-digit percentage gaps. However, he emphasized that the current election atmosphere is vastly different, and his starting position is incomparable to that of four years ago.

Over the past two years, Hsieh pointed out, competition within the green camp has been intense. The New Tide faction has been pushing for legislator Lin Chun-hsien’s candidacy, launching sustained attacks on Chen Ting-fei, focusing on accusations of 'betrayal', 'violating Taiwan faction interests', 'poor character', and 'black gold background'. Although Chen was ultimately nominated by the DPP, internal party conflicts remain unresolved.

Hsieh noted that his campaign slogan—'I will serve only one four-year term as mayor'—has complicated the DPP’s strategic planning. He analyzed that if President Lai Qing-te secures a second term in 2028 and serves until 2032 before stepping down as DPP chairperson, the party’s Tainan mayoral nomination process may not follow the expected script. He added that another faction within the DPP is secretly pinning hopes on him, saying, 'They want me to step in and block Chen Ting-fei'.

Hsieh also mentioned that after Chen Ting-fei was officially confirmed as the DPP candidate, she visited Tainan City Council Speaker Chiu Li-li. According to Hsieh, Chiu presented several conditions and requested Chen sign a pledge, one of which was to sever ties with former Tainan City Council Speaker Kuo Hsin-liang. However, Chen ultimately refused to sign.

More exclusive reports from Feng Media: · On the whip punishment referendum being directly sent to second reading, Hsieh Long-chieh declared, 'Taiwanese people have had enough,' criticizing the tendency to only excuse perpetrators. · After President Lai Qing-te pointed to Neihu flooding and called for a cause review, Hsieh angrily responded, 'First recall what you said eight years ago.' · Regarding whether Kuo Hsin-liang’s corruption case could impact Chen Ting-fei’s campaign, political commentator Kuo Cheng-liang analyzed Lai Qing-te’s strategy, praising Chen for resisting the New Tide faction for ten years.