Did Tsai Ing-wen tell Liu Chao-hao 'Stay out of this Taitung race'? Tsai personally chairs Chen Ying's campaign HQ—Media analyst reveals strategic implications: 'This move is unusual'

Former President Tsai Ing-wen recently attended the launch event of the campaign office for Chen Ying, the DPP's candidate for Taitung county magistrate, and announced on-site that she would serve as the head of the campaign headquarters. Meanwhile, former legislator Liu Chao-hao, who had previously announced his withdrawal from the county magistrate race, took on the role of campaign general manager, symbolizing the unification of the Pan-Green camp in Taitung and sparking public discussion.

In response, media commentator Yin Nai-ching analyzed the underlying strategy on the program "Shaokang's War Room," stating bluntly: "Tsai Ing-wen's move here is truly unusual."

Recent media reports indicated that Liu Chao-hao had once considered running for county magistrate as an independent, potentially triggering a split within the Pan-Green camp in Taitung. Liu was a student of Tsai Ing-wen during her tenure as a professor at National Chengchi University and had been mentored by her throughout his political career. However, after losing the DPP's 2024 legislative primary, Liu ran independently, splitting the green vote and leading to the defeat of DPP legislative candidate Lai Kun-cheng.

In this county magistrate race, Liu was initially rumored to be determined to run to the end, raising concerns about a repeat of the previous split in Taitung.

Insiders revealed that Tsai Ing-wen had personally spoken with Liu Chao-hao, advising him, "You must not touch this election," and from Tsai's perspective, Liu's academic and professional background is excellent—"a person with future potential." Out of care for her student and their past relationship, she reportedly pleaded with him, reasoning that entering the race would not only harm the DPP's electoral prospects but also damage Liu himself. She is said to have patiently and earnestly persuaded him to reconsider.

Why did Tsai Ing-wen persuade Liu Chao-hao to step down? Yin Nai-ching: "The DPP sees a chance to win"

The DPP has achieved a major breakthrough in the 2026 Taitung county magistrate election. After the party nominated incumbent legislator Chen Ying as its candidate, former legislator Liu Chao-hao, who had insisted on running independently, announced his withdrawal and appeared alongside former President Tsai Ing-wen at Chen Ying's campaign office on the 4th, officially announcing the successful unification of the green camp. The event also revealed that Tsai Ing-wen would serve as chair of Chen Ying's campaign headquarters, while Liu Chao-hao would serve as campaign general manager.

Yin Nai-ching stated that Tsai's move—focusing on Chen Ying while persuading her own ally Liu Chao-hao to step down—is quite unusual. Although the KMT has long governed Taitung and the current Taitung county council speaker and KMT candidate Wu Hsiu-hua is highly capable, she has recently faced family-related controversies that may impact her campaign.

Is Tsai competing with Lai Qing-de for the party's 'greatest common denominator'? Yin Nai-ching: 'One of the few cross-faction coordinators'

Yin Nai-ching noted that Taitung has always been a unique electoral district, with incumbent county magistrate Rao Ching-ling receiving decent performance evaluations, and Chen Ying is not a weak candidate either. The DPP has invested significant resources in Taitung in recent years, including various subsidies and construction funds secured by Chen Ying during her tenure as legislator, indicating that the green camp believes there is a viable path to victory in Taitung.

Tsai Ing-wen personally chairing Chen Ying's campaign headquarters does not necessarily mean the DPP is already confident of victory, but if the election dynamics shift and there's even a chance of flipping the result, it would carry significant implications for the political landscape of eastern Taiwan.

Yin believes that even if Tsai's intervention doesn't lead to victory, as long as the unification succeeds and vote share increases, it will once again highlight Tsai's strong integrative power within the DPP—making her one of the few remaining figures capable of coordinating across factions, a 'greatest common denominator.' If the year-end elections fall short of DPP expectations—especially if Kaohsiung is lost—Lai Qing-de's bid for presidential re-election would face greater challenges.