Johnny Chiang leads the Taichung mayoral market at 78.5% as the KMT nominee in the open-seat race to replace term-limited incumbent Lu Shiow-yen, drawing strong endorsements from Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu, New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih, and the outgoing mayor. His platform emphasizes completing the metro Blue Line, expanding the airport, and an AI-assisted public safety network, while recent KMT-commissioned polls show him ahead by 9 points. Ho Hsin-chun, the DPP nominee and longtime lawmaker, trails at 21.3% despite one independent survey placing her ahead by 11 points and her focus on traffic relief; traders appear to weigh KMT organizational strength and Taichung's recent voting patterns more heavily ahead of the November 28 vote and the November 17 televised debate. Minor candidates including Yang Chiung-ying register negligible shares.