After facing each other in the election for mayor of Goiânia in 2024 — marked by attacks and a split on the right —, the political group of the governor of Goiás and pre-candidate for the Presidency, Ronaldo Caiado (União Brasil), and members of the PL are now negotiating an alliance in the state for this year’s election.
While Caiado’s allies are moving in favor of the pre-candidacy of the vice-governor, Daniel Vilela (MDB), for the Palácio das Esmeraldas, the party of former president Jair Bolsonaro seeks with the movement to create a strong ticket to contest the Senate.
Caiado discussed the possible composition of the state in a meeting at the end of December with senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), chosen by his father for the race for Planalto.
— It was a mature conversation about the national and local scene. We talk about maintaining conversations that should intensify and narrow down in 2026. And decisions will be taken at the right time and with political maturity — said Vilela.
Negotiations between the Union and the PL in Goiás began about a year ago, during a visit from Vilela to Bolsonaro. The meeting was organized by former federal deputy and councilor Major Victor Hugo (PL), who came to occupy the leadership of the former president’s government in the Chamber.
Internal division
Continues after advertising
At the time, the meeting provoked the publication of a note of repudiation from the state president of the PL, senator Wilder Morais (GO), who launched his pre-candidacy for the government of Goiás last year. The text criticized the party’s supporter for establishing “dialogues with his opponents at the state level”. At the time, the government camp and Bolsonaro’s party had just faced each other in the election for command of Goiânia. Sandro Mabel (MDB), who had the support of Caiado, won the dispute in the second round against former federal deputy Fred Rodrigues (PL).
Wilder’s pre-candidacy was launched under division in the PL: part defended support for Caiado’s vice president and another, who won, expressed support for his own candidacy. The ticket also includes federal deputy Gustavo Gayer (PL-GO) as a pre-candidate for the Senate. In a statement, the party stated that the two “reinforce the internal unity of the party and the construction of a robust majority ticket, with strong appeal among the state’s conservative electorate”.
As part of the strategy to make the state candidacy viable, the party promoted a series of meetings between supporters and supporters in the state throughout the month of December, after demands from the parliamentarian’s allies for more public appearances by Wilder. The senator appeared in third place in the last round of Genial/Quaest for the state race, held in August last year, with 10% of voting intentions. Caiado’s bet and ahead in the survey, Vilela added 26%. Federal deputy Marconi Perillo (PSDB), whose pre-candidacy was launched in September, but is still seen as uncertain by interlocutors, scored 22%.
Members of the PL closest to the MDB, heard privately, claim that the launch of Wilder’s pre-candidacy served to establish a position and, in the future, negotiate with Vilela. Internally, the acronym has faced a stampede of mayors, who seek to join the União de Caiado or the vice-governor’s MDB.
The movement is criticized by Fred Rodrigues, defeated candidate in the election for mayor of Goiânia in 2024 and state vice-president of the PL, who states that the attack against mayors “is not a good calling card”. Rodrigues, however, admits that the party is interested in being on the ticket of First Lady Gracinha Caiado (União Brasil), who has been leading polls of voting intentions for the Senate in the state.
— If the governor had the intention of building support for the national and state PL, this attack against the mayors carried out by the MDB and União Brasil is certainly not a good calling card and should hinder the possibility of seams in the future — says the Bolsonaro supporter.
Continues after advertising
National movement
In parallel, Caiado seeks to attract votes from the Bolsonarist base and has invested in the discourse on public security and anti-PTism. Last year, he also made a nod to Bolsonaro by promising amnesty to the former president in case of victory in the presidential elections. In December, Caiado announced that he will maintain his pre-candidacy even after Flávio was chosen to represent his father in the race for Palácio do Planalto.
