In November 2019, Chen accepted a nomination from the New Power Party to contest the 2020 election as an at-large legislative candidate.

[3] On 10 November 2020, Chen was subsequently elected party chairman, succeeding Kao Yu-ting.

[4][5] On 17 August 2022, in the aftermath of then Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan on 2–3 August, China blacklisted seven Taiwanese officials including Chen due to their alleged support for Taiwanese independence.

The blacklist bans them from entering mainland China and the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, and restricts them from working with Chinese officials.

Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times labelled Chen and the six officials as "diehard secessionists".