Who could have guessed that during his campaign for a third term as Kaohsiung mayor, a trumped-up scandal over a recording would see him lose the race to the DPP candidate Frank Hsieh? After spending a time under the radar following this, he reemerged as a candidate for the legislature.
不料連任高雄市長時，因為一捲事後判決為蓄意捏造的緋聞錄音帶，而以些微差距敗給民進黨籍的謝長廷，度過了一段低潮沈潛期，之後回鄉競選立委，力求東山再起。