Wang Mei-hui, the Democratic Progressive Party legislator and nominee, holds the strongest position in the Chiayi City mayoral race ahead of the November 28, 2026, local elections, reflecting her established local base as the city's representative since 2020 and record of securing central resources for infrastructure, healthcare, education, and flood control projects. The joint Kuomintang-Taiwan People's Party candidate Chang Chi-kai trails as the main challenger after winning an opposition primary in April, backed by unified blue-white campaigning that highlights delays in a light rail link to the high-speed rail station and promises to build on the term-limited incumbent mayor's record. Recent late-August internal polling from KMT leadership showed Chang closing the gap to within the margin of error in a traditionally pan-green city, though earlier surveys had Wang ahead by six points. Numerous minor and independent candidates, including those who lost the opposition primary, register negligible support and fragment the field without altering the primary contest dynamics. Trader consensus prices the outcome accordingly, with scheduled candidate registration through early September and ongoing coalition coordination as near-term factors.