The former president () warned allies that his ticket for the Senate in Santa Catarina will be made up of his son (PL), a former councilor in Rio, and the federal deputy (PL), in a change.
De Toni was the former first lady’s (PL) preferred name to run for Senate in the state, where the governor (PL) will run for re-election. Michelle’s preference for the deputy weighed on Bolsonaro’s decision, say allies.
The leader of the opposition in the Chamber, Cabo Gilberto Silva (PL-PB), who visited Bolsonaro in Papudinha this month, claims that the former president informed him of the choice of the two names, which was confirmed by other interlocutors of the former president.
According to the leader, Bolsonaro dropped the hammer on the matter. The decision ends a doubt in the PL, but it should officially mark a split on the Santa Catarina right. By defending a pure ticket in the race for the Senate, the former president goes against Governor Jorginho, who prefers to support the re-election of Senator Esperidião Amin ().
Although Amin is a faithful ally of Bolsonarism in the state, Bolsonaro’s option was based on research that shows the deputy better positioned than the senator.
the PL leadership had defined that the two names for the Senate in Santa Catarina would be Carlos and Amin, which was communicated to De Toni, who even announced his departure from the party. The deputy had agreed to join Novo to run for the Senate, which would risk a division of votes in Bolsonarism.
PL members say they believe that the president of the party, Valdemar Costa Neto, will maintain Bolsonaro’s choice. In the party, there is an agreement that the former president will choose the names to run for the Senate, while Valdemar will be responsible for candidates for state governments and the .
In addition to making life difficult for Jorginho Mello, who intended to use the second Senate seat to expand his range of alliances in the dispute for re-election, the decision should move the PP away from (PL-RJ). The presidential candidate wanted to attract the party to his ticket, but faces difficulties in the face of resistance from a wing of the PP, mainly from the Northeast, to join Bolsonarism.
As shown by Sheetthe national president of the PP also began to resist the idea of formal support for Flávio. Former minister of Bolsonaro, looking for an agreement that would enable his re-election as senator in Piauí.
Bolsonaristas, however, minimize the situation in Santa Catarina. For Flávio’s allies, the federation formed by the PP and União Brasil must still support him in the Planalto dispute anyway.
The definition of the Bolsonarist ticket in Santa Catarina split the right-wing camp and exposed the divergence between Carlos and Michelle. The impasse has already resulted.
The confusion was caused by Carlos’ arrival on the political scene in Santa Catarina. Previously a councilor for the capital of Rio de Janeiro, he changed his electoral domicile to the southern state, faced with a congestion of right-wing candidates in Rio de Janeiro.
Esperidião Amin’s allies claim that he will run for the Senate regardless of the agreement between the parties, but that his preference is to join the PL ticket, which would also be strategic for Valdemar’s party.
In 2022, Jorginho ran alone for the Executive, but over the course of his three years in office he expanded his support base and started to draw up a ticket for 2026 with at least PP and MDB, acronyms that are now part of the first level of the state administration.
The governor’s opponent in the Bolsonarist camp is the mayor of Chapecó, João Rodrigues (PSD), who launched a pre-candidacy for the government.
