The mayor of , (), began a new phase to boost the last months of his administration before leaving office in April, when he will resign to be ready to compete for the government of Pernambuco.
The assessment among allies is that João Campos took a break in intensity at the beginning of his second term, after being re-elected with a record vote in Recife in October 2024, with 78% of valid votes in the first round.
Behind the scenes, those around João Campos say that the reduction in pace was normal, because a new administration began, despite having the same mayor in charge. The order now is to intensify actions, launch new programs and make deliveries until the handover to vice-mayor Victor Marques (PC do B), who will take over as mayor in April.
For 2026, voting intention surveys show João Campos ahead of the governor (PSD), who will seek re-election. The mayor wants to guarantee a good vote in the Metropolitan Region of Recife, which accounts for 42% of the state’s electorate.
With this in mind, Campos wants to prioritize areas such as infrastructure, health and social programs. One of the management’s showcases, the Recife Children’s Hospital should open in January.
The mayor will also inaugurate a bridge in the coming months that connects Areias (west zone) and Imbiribeira (south zone) and could reduce traffic congestion in Recife. Another bridge launched last week is the one that will connect Cordeiro (west zone) to Casa Forte (north zone) over the Capibaribe River, whose work will begin in 2025.
In the social area, municipal management launched a social rental program for low-income people and will regulate, in the coming weeks, the creation of free driver’s licenses for low-income residents. A new social program will be launched next week.
With the imminent transition, João Campos has delegated functions to Victor Marques. The vice-mayor recently went to Medellín, Colombia, on an official mission to learn about public mobility and social inclusion policies.
Politically, João Campos has been divided between the national presidency of the PSB and the articulations in Pernambuco. The trend is that by the end of the year it will return to inland cities on weekends, outside of official business hours.
Assembling the majority ticket is another puzzle for João Campos. A name taken for granted in the coalition is that of Senator Humberto Costa (PT), an ally of President Lula who will seek re-election and has become closer to João Campos, including going to the mayor’s agendas in the neighborhoods.
The other vacancy for the Senate has a conflict, as it is in dispute between the former mayor of Petrolina Miguel Coelho (União Brasil), the former deputy Marília Arraes (Solidarity) and the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho (Republicans).
The possibility of the second senator supported by João Campos being federal deputy Eduardo da Fonte (PP), who is currently an ally of Raquel Lyra, has not been ruled out. Dudu, as he is known, however, has not decided which platform the União-PP federation will be on next year.
“I have no doubt. Where to [federação] União Progressistas is, we will certainly be forwarding the next governor of the state”, stated Eduardo da Fonte, who will be the president of the federation in Pernambuco, in an interview with Folha radio, in Recife, on Friday (17).
João Campos and Eduardo da Fonte were allies until 2023, when the PP migrated to Governor Raquel’s base. Behind the scenes, deputies linked to Eduardo da Fonte say that João Campos lacks humility to make a gesture to the PP, while allies of the mayor say that he avoids this gesture because he displeases Miguel Coelho and Silvio Costa Filho, who have been allies for longer.
Eduardo da Fonte is a pre-candidate for the Senate. He has said to interlocutors that, from zero to ten, the chance of being a candidate for senator is eleven, an allusion to his party’s number.
The wish of Raquel Lyra, who is on an official mission in China in search of investments for Pernambuco, is for Dudu da Fonte to run for the Senate on her ticket.
The other vacancy could go to the former mayor of Jaboatão dos Guararapes Anderson Ferreira (PL). Even with the possibility of being left with the Bolsonaro ticket in the governor’s alliance, the PSD sees the need to have significant advertising time on TV to turn the tide against João Campos. To do this, you would need the combined forces of PSD, PP-União and PL.
In this scenario, it would be necessary to overturn, behind the scenes, the intention of former Tourism Minister Gilson Machado (PL) to be a candidate for senator. This is because Raquel Lyra is not close to Gilson and also has ideological differences with Bolsonarism.
Anderson Ferreira has the support of Valdemar, while Gilson has the support of former president Jair Bolsonaro. The PL must launch only one candidate for senator in the state.
