Although the KMT's position as the hegemonic party was unassailable, over the years, candidates who were not members of the KMT won some seats in these elections. Long before Chen Shui-bian of the DPP became mayor of Taipei, Kao Yu-shu and Yang Chin-hu, running as independents, defeated the KMT nominees to win the mayoralties of, respectively, Taipei and Kaohsiung.
雖然國民黨一黨獨大的地位難以撼動，但在歷年選舉中，非國民黨候選人始終保有近三成的當選空間。遠在阿扁之前，台北市長高玉樹，高雄市長楊金虎，都是早年擊敗國民黨提名人的「黨外英雄」。