First lady has intensified presence in evangelical meetings, a segment that is generally more identified with the right and pockets
First Lady Janja Lula da Silva participated on Sunday (21.Set.2025) in a service at The Abyssinian Baptist Baptist Church in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. Janja’s presence is part of a recent first lady movement to approach evangelicals, a segment that is generally more linked to the right and will have a fundamental weight in the 2026 elections.
During the service in New York, Reverend Kevin R. Johnson told the faithful that there was a special guest at the scene. He presented the first lady as Rosângela Janja Lula da Silva and asked her to rise. Janja stood and was applauded. Then Reverend asked the other members of the Brazilian delegation to also rise to be applauded.
Johnson explained to the faithful that Janja is in the United States because of the UN General Assembly (United Nations), whose opening will be held on Tuesday (21.set). “We pray a lot for a productive meeting, the best you can be, given the news we have seen. We know that President Silva will make a strong speech. He is traveling here and we wish him good luck on the trip,” these.
Reverend said he talked to Janja before the service. “What she said is more than powerful. She said she is connected to Christians in Brazil, but she wanted to come to a Baptist Church in America.”he said. Reverend’s wife Kimya Johnson also participated in the conversation.
Since July, Janja has intensified the presence in cults and meetings with evangelicals in Brazil, in general, with the majority presence of women. The PT and the government identified, during the 2022 elections, bottlenecks in relation to these faithful that are generally closer to the right and pockets.
Accordingly Power July 30, 69% of evangelicals disapprove of the government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT). Those who approve of the petista administration total 26%.
In 2022, Lula was criticized during the election campaign for minimizing strategies to raise votes for evangelicals. He in October of that year, during the 2nd round of elections one, which was considered at the time the strongest nod of the petista to this segment of society. In the document, Lula said that “Religion cannot be used to divide Brazilians” and that the political use of faith was a “Sad scandal”.
Already in 2024, the PT a booklet for its candidates for mayors and councilors about how to dialogue with evangelicals.
On Tuesday (16.Set), Lula and Janja do Podcast Chat of the believer, which was published on Friday (19.Set).
Janja has been in New York since Wednesday (17.Set). She to the United States 3 days before Lula’s arrival. The petista landed in the city on Sunday (21.Set). The first lady participated in social and climate events as special envoy for COP30 women, a climate conference that will be held in Belém (PA) in November.
