In addition to the movement in the Executive, the governor is also advancing in assembling the board for the Senate
The governor of Santa Catarina, Jorginho Mello (PL), took this Thursday (22) a step considered decisive behind the scenes of the 2026 state succession. He invited the mayor of Joinville, Adriano Silva (Novo), to form his ticket for re-election as a pre-candidate for vice-governor, a movement that consolidates the alliance between PL and Novo in the State.
The sewing was conducted directly by Jorginho and involved interlocutors from both parties. Behind the scenes, the reading is that Adriano Silva’s entry into the ticket anticipates the 2026 electoral design and clears the space for alternative candidacies in the right-wing field in Santa Catarina.
Adriano, mayor of the largest city in the state, is seen as a name with strong electoral appeal and good circulation among the business community. The governor’s allies claim that the choice meets a pragmatic criterion: ensuring political stability and expanding the range of alliances without giving up the discourse of management and fiscal responsibility, common flags for PL and Novo in Santa Catarina.
Publicly, Jorginho has defended the composition as a “purposeful” alliance, but, privately, assistants admit that the definition of the ticket seeks to shield the re-election project and reduce internal risks in 2025.
In addition to the movement in the Executive, the governor is also advancing in assembling the board for the Senate. As anticipated by this column, Jorginho is expected to support federal deputy Carol De Toni (PL-SC) in the dispute for one of the two Senate seats in 2026.
In recent months, De Toni even rehearsed leaving the PL towards Novo, a move that generated apprehension among the governor’s allies. Permanence in the party was assured after Jorginho signaled direct support for his candidacy, according to sources heard by the Young Pan.
With this scenario, the tendency is for Carol De Toni and Carlos Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), who has an electoral domicile in Santa Catarina, to compete for the two seats in the Senate for the State, redesigning the correlation of forces in the Bolsonaro camp in Santa Catarina.
Also according to sources close to the governor, Jorginho Mello is expected to meet in the coming days with senator Esperidião Amin (PP-SC) to communicate the decisions already taken and align the new political framework with a view to the 2026 elections.
*This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Jovem Pan.
