The possible succession of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in the 2026 presidential dispute exposed different views among the main three names to represent the right in the election: the governors Ronaldo Caiado (União Brasil-GO), Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans-SP) and Ratinho Júnior (PSD-PR).
During Expert XP 2025this Saturday (26), the three adopted different positions about the convenience of launching a unique candidacy already in the first round.
For Caiado, the concentration of forces in a single name would be a strategic error. The governor of Goiás evaluates that this would make the right candidate an easy target for the public machine led by Lula (PT).
“When you let out a single candidate in the first round, you give the PT machine a destructive capacity you are not imagining,” he said. “If you have three candidates, I have no way to reach everyone. One will reach the second round, and everyone else will be together.”
Caiado recognized the role of Jair Bolsonaro as a national leadership and relativized the reach of other names.
“Besides him, we are all regional leaders. Tarcisio has the example of Sao Paulo, Paraná has its structure, and I am there from Goiás. Each one has its area of influence,” he said, defending that the group Avance divided, but convergent in the second round.
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Tarcísio defends Unified Project
In contrast, the governor of São Paulo argued that the union of right -wing forces is essential to overcome the election and promote structuring reforms.
“The good news is that the national project is above all vanities,” he said. “I prego, yes, the union – and that is when it is, with wisdom to define the best strategy. Brazil deserves it.”
Tarcisio also dismissed the hypothesis that Jair Bolsonaro is absent from the electoral process, although ineligible. “It is wrong to think that a leadership like Jair Bolsonaro will be left out. Whatever it is, he will participate.”
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Ratinho sees space for multiple candidacies
Already the governor of Paraná avoided entering the direct clash between his colleagues and adopted a conciliatory position. For him, the existence of different applications within the same ideological spectrum is legitimate and can enrich the political debate. “This spectrum has good paintings. The problem would be if I had not,” he said.
Ratinho pointed out that in a system with two shifts, it is natural that each party wants to launch their own candidate, at least at the beginning. “It is a process that requires time. The most important thing is that, whoever reaches the second round, will have the competence to gather everyone.”
