The names of the Minister of Finance and the vice-president have been cited by EM leaders as the main options to face the governor (Republicans) in 2026.
Since Friday (5), the topic gained strength with the announcement that the senator (-RJ) was chosen by his father, the former president (PL), as the member of the group. With the realization of this scenario, which is still seen with certainty by allies and opponents of the Bolsonaro family, Tarcísio would run for re-election in São Paulo.
Against the governor, say PT members, as he is a candidate with a lot of potential votes, the opposition needs to launch a name of national stature, such as Haddad, the most cited, or Alckmin. The final decision on the best name between the two would still need to go through deliberation by the president (PT) and conversations with the possible candidates themselves.
Vice-president of the PT, federal deputy Jilmar Tatto states that Haddad and Alckmin are the two best names for the dispute.
“Haddad did well in the last election and Alckmin has already been governor of the state four times. Brazil has changed a lot compared to 2022, the conditions are different, we are in the federal government. The best thing in politics is when the politician has already won, which is the case with Tarcísio. His government has many problems: tolls, security, bad relations with mayors. In theory, he is a more difficult opponent [que as alternativas]but he is not invincible”, says Tatto.
Antonio Donato (PT-SP), state deputy, says that he has reproduced the motto of “just 6% more”, according to which it is enough to eliminate this difference for Haddad to beat Tarcísio in 2026. The calculation is based on the Bolsonarista’s victory over the current Finance Minister by 55.27% to 44.73% in the second round in 2022.
Donato highlights that the minister today has important deliverables from his portfolio to present in the campaign, such as the lowest levels of unemployment in the historical series and the exemption from Income Tax for those earning up to R$5000, while the governor will be charged differently than in the previous election, which was his debut. In 2026, they estimate, he will have problems of an entire term to try to justify for the first time.
Paulo Fiorilo, also a state deputy in São Paulo for the PT, states that the party has always worked with two scenarios, Tarcísio’s stay or not, and says that, therefore, the announcement of Flávio Bolsonaro as presidential candidate does not change the strategy of concentrating forces on criticizing the governor’s current mandate.
With Tarcísio as an opponent, however, and not with one of his nominees, Fiorilo states that it will be easier to relate the criticized figure to the problems highlighted, even though he recognizes that he is, indeed, a possibly stronger opponent than the alternatives that were put forward, such as vice-governor Felício Ramuth (PSD), mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB) and the president of the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo André do Prado (PL).
Just as it was in 2022, the dispute for the government of São Paulo should be an important platform for Lula in his likely search for re-election in 2026, and, therefore, party leaders also reinforce the need to have a strong candidacy in the state.
In the last election, for example, even though Haddad was defeated, the campaign was seen as successful by PT members due to the relatively small margin of difference in the second round and the support for Lula’s presidential candidacy, with joint events and articulation of proposals.
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