Taiwan's opposition is taking its case directly to Washington, a move aimed at balancing the ruling party's grip on US-Taiwan ties and rallying overseas supporters before year-end elections.

• Eight KMT lawmakers, including Hsu Chiao-hsin and Lo Chih-chiang, left for a 12-day trip covering San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington and New York.
• It is the largest KMT delegation to visit the US in years, planned quietly over several months.
• The group will meet major Washington think tanks to lay out the opposition's positions and push the idea that Taiwan has more than one democratic voice.
• With local elections coming at the end of the year, the trip doubles as a campaign swing, with large rallies for overseas Taiwanese already drawing hundreds of sign-ups.

Outlook: Expect the delegation's think-tank meetings and rally turnout to become a test of how much sway the KMT can build in Washington ahead of Taiwan's next election cycle.