The pressure from the pockets by the impeachment of Minister Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Court (STF) has been creating embarrassment to Senate candidates seeking support from former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) voters in 2026.
In states such as Rio, Sao Paulo, Mato Grosso and Paraíba, pre-candidates who did not endorse the measure against Moraes began to be charged to adopting more critical positions to the STF. On the other hand, senators who will seek reelection under the competition of pockets embrace proposals to overthrow the minister.
In Sao Paulo, the hesitation of Governor Tarcisio de Freitas (Republicans) to criticize the Supreme already causes developments in the Senate race. His favorite to apply for one of the vacancies, State Security Secretary Guilherme Derrite (PP) is the target of veiled charges in Bolsonarism.
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One of the listed to launch the senator, state deputy Gil Diniz (PL-SP) criticized pre-candidates who did not participate this month in the demonstrations whose agenda included a displeasure to Bolsonaro and attacks on the Supreme Court. Diniz and federal deputy Marco Feliciano (PL-SP), another ventilated name, were at the act of Paulista Avenue. Derrite and Tarcisio, in turn, were absent.
– The impeachment agenda of Moraes is the number one item for the Bolsonarist voter in the Senate race. I am missing the manifestation of some pre-candidates. If today they silence, why are they talking about it if they are elected? Diniz argues.
Another scenario of skirt is Rio, a state in which Governor Claudio Castro (PL) aims to launch himself to the Senate despite the distrust of Bolsonaro’s allies. Castro never adopted a war attitude against the court, which last year locked surveys that investigated alleged bribe transfers involving the governor of Rio – he always denied any irregularities.
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The agent also depends on the court to the state fiscal question. Already in the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), will soon face the judgment of the CEPERJ case, in which it is accused of promoting an electoral scheme in the agency to be reelected in 2022.
Following the end of the license of federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP), Castro even waved with the hypothesis of named him state secretary in Rio so that he could follow in the US-where he commands an offensive against the STF-without the risk of cassation.
The governor retreated, however, claiming bureaucratic barriers to a distance appointment. Bolsonaro’s interlocutors assess, however, that Castro has made a “scene game” of stroking the former president without generating practical effects, not to melind the court.
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Castro’s stance has been criticized by competitors to the vacancy, such as current Senator Carlos Portinho (PL-RJ) and federal deputy Sostenes Cavalcante (RJ), leader of the PL in the House, who charge a more combative attitude against the Supreme. According to Sostenes, the governor made “noble” gestures to the former president “in a difficult time”, but has not exceeded the suspicions.
“With him becoming senator, our main concern is that he may have limitation to embrace the agenda.” We want senators who are not committed to STF ministers. The concern with Claudio is this – says the leader of the PL.
Another governor who evaluates the Senate in 2026, Mauro Mendes (Union), in Mato Grosso, criticized last week the president of Congress, Davi Alcolumbre (Union-AP), for refusing to guide impeachment requests against Moraes. Although they are party colleagues, Mendes accused alcohubre of “authoritarianism.”
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The governor, however, has avoided directly criticizing the Supreme Ministers and maintains dialogue with members of the Court. According to columnist Malu Gaspar, from GloboHe tried to intermediate a meeting between Bolsonaro and Minister Gilmar Mendes, who was frustrated by the an anklet anklet to the former president.
Following Bolsonaro’s defeat in 2022, Mauro Mendes also bothered the pockets when asked about the coup content of barracks in front of barracks and claiming that he would “let Xandão take care of it.”
Other postulants to the Senate vacancy, such as former Deputy José Medeiros (PL), intensified the request for voters to choose candidates who treat the court as an opponent:
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“We need to reshape the Senate with people who have the courage to put several Supreme Ministers in their place,” Medeiros said on a social network.
In neighboring Mato Grosso do Sul, Senator Soraya Thronicke (Union), who seeks to reelect herself next year, made a publication complaining of “perverse blackmail that endanger the entire Brazilian population”, in reference to the pressure to support the impeachment of Moraes.
Soraya was elected in 2018 with Bolsonaro’s support and was favorable to the minister’s impeachment in early 2020. She, however, broke with the former president in the pandemic and became a criticism of Bolsonaro’s confrontations with the judiciary.
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Last week, Soraya accused “unscrupulous politicians” of trying to maneuver the Congress’ agenda “to get away with the imminent prison.” The senator, however, waved the electorate scholarship in the same week and, in another publication on social networks, stressed that he had “signed a request against Moraes’ decision”-the request, however, is for withdrawal from the electronic anklet of also Senator Marcos do Val (Somos), the precautionary measure of the Supreme Minister.
BRAKE IN COMPETITION
In Paraíba, Senator Efraim Filho (Union) announced his signature to the request for impeachment of Moraes after pressure from PL allies, with which he sews an alliance. Asked about it by the local press, he said impeachment is an alternative “if he needs to curb the excesses” of another power.
Already in Rio Grande do Sul, Governor Eduardo Leite (PSD) has opposed the impeachment of Moraes, but has defended limitations on monocratic decisions of ministers and the possibility of stipulating mandates in the court, guidelines now embraced by Bolsonarism. Milk evaluates the Senate in 2026, if not launched as a presidential candidate for his party.
In other states that voted mostly in Bolsonaro in the last election, senators embraced the defense to the impeachment of Moraes in order to curb the competition of pockets by their own chairs.
In Santa Catarina, for example, Senator Esperidião Amin (PP) began to argue that “put a brake” in the Supreme Court’s performance and that an eventual opening of impeachment process would lead to “self -restarting the judiciary”.
Amin may have competition from federal deputies Carol de Toni and Julia Zanatta, both from PL, for the two vacancies in dispute. Another hypothesis is the candidacy of one of the former president, Rio de Janeiro councilman Carlos Bolsonaro (PL), who evaluates migrating to the state.
Already in Roraima, a state to which Bolsonaro also evaluates “export” an ally of trust, Senator Mecias de Jesus (Republicans) announced support for the impeachment of Moraes alongside Bolsonarism leaders, such as Deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ).
In a video, meters sought to stress alignment with pockets and justified that impeachment would be a way to cease “persecution.” One of his possible competitors in the fight for reelection in 2026 is the federal deputy Hélio Lopes (PL-RJ), who can apply for Roraima.
