Wang Mei-hui, the Democratic Progressive Party nominee and sitting legislator, holds the strongest position in the Chiayi City mayoral race ahead of the November 2026 local elections, as reflected in trader pricing. Recent polling, including a May 2026 TVBS survey, showed her ahead of the main challenger by roughly six points at 43 percent support. The Kuomintang and Taiwan People’s Party coordinated on a joint nominee, former legislator Chang Chi-kai, following internal primaries, which consolidated opposition support but has not narrowed the gap in available surveys. Lower-priced candidates such as Chen Chia-ping, Huang Hung-cheng, Chen Kai-huang, and Weng Shou-liang lack comparable party infrastructure or recent momentum. Incumbent mayor Huang Min-hui, term-limited after multiple KMT terms, has backed unification efforts behind the opposition ticket. Key variables ahead include further polling trends, turnout among younger voters where Chang has shown relative strength, and any late campaign developments through the fall.