The KMT and the PFP set a precedent by forming a coalition and fielding Hsie Shen-shan as their joint candidate. As if to muddle the election contest even further, Wu Kuo-tung, Hualien's former county commissioner, failed to obtain the KMT's nomination and decided to run on an independent ticket.
而國、親最後則決定共推國民黨籍的前勞委會主委謝深山為候選人，首開「國親合」之後跨黨聯合提名的先例；最後是爭取國民黨提名不成的花蓮縣前縣長吳國棟，決定以無黨籍身分參選，憑添選舉的複雜度。