Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te travelled to Yunlin County to campaign for the Democratic Progressive Party's candidate, publicly urging voters to change who serves as county magistrate — good news for the current ruling party and pressure on the local rival.

• Lai Ching-te attended the Gukeng bamboo shoot banquet, where he backed Legislator Liu Chien-kuo's run for Yunlin County magistrate in front of a thousand-strong crowd of supporters.
• He directly called for a "change of party and of person in the magistrate's post," saying Yunlin's development had stalled in recent years and that it needed the courage to transform.
• He pledged that the central government would give Yunlin its full support, and on Liu Chien-kuo's behalf he floated policies to build AI-technology and biotech parks and to boost farmers' incomes.
• He also invoked the "agricultural capital" status established by former magistrate Su Chih-fen, stressing that Liu Chien-kuo had secured central resources such as hospital expansion.

Outlook: This campaign appearance effectively kicks off the Yunlin magistrate race ahead of schedule, and Lai Ching-te will continue to rally support and drum up votes for DPP candidates.