The performance of (PL-RJ) against the president () increased the pressure for the Minister of Finance, to run for the Government of São Paulo for the PT.
With the mission of preventing the president from losing votes in the largest electoral college in Brazil, Haddad must have help from the vice-president, (), to seek space with the electorate in the interior of São Paulo, one of the regions most identified with anti-PTism in the country.
Haddad . He must seek the position against Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), who will run for re-election as the favorite.
PT members have little hope for a Haddad victory. The main objective is for him to add volume to Lula’s campaign in São Paulo. The minister resisted entering into a sacrificial candidacy.
The growth of the main right-wing pre-candidate for president, Flávio Bolsonaro, in the electoral polls made it more difficult to reject Haddad. PT supporters pointed out, behind the scenes, that he could be held responsible if he did not run for office and Lula lost the election because of a bad result in São Paulo – the minister’s allies reject this type of responsibility.
Members of the PT, the government and the PSB point out that Alckmin has had a strong influence on the organization of Lula’s alliance in São Paulo, and that this situation tends to intensify in the coming months.
The vice-president was appointed by Lula, for example, to articulate the likely migration of the Planning Minister to the PSB.
It is taken for granted in Brasília that she will change parties, and from Mato Grosso do Sul, to contest the election in São Paulo. Tebet, however, states in public and in private conversations that he will only make a decision after having a conversation directly with Lula.
Furthermore, Alckmin is the main bet from those around Lula to reduce the resistance of the interior of São Paulo to Haddad and the PT. He was governor from 2001 to 2006 and from 2011 to 2018, a period in which he had a strong influence on state politicians.
The relationship between Tarcísio goes through the president of the PSD and Secretary of Government of São Paulo, . Both, which gives Lula’s allies hope of making some gains with local leaders for the benefit of Haddad.
Alckmin has been meeting with mayors from the interior both at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Services, the department he holds, and at the Palácio do Planalto.
On Wednesday (25), he received the mayor of Marília (SP), Vinicius Camarinha (PSDB). On Thursday (26), he completed an agenda with eight other municipal representatives from the state.
Alckmin is expected to make a series of visits to the interior of São Paulo in the coming weeks on commitments related to his ministry and the PSB, his party. He must be accompanied by the Minister of Entrepreneurship, who is also trying to reduce rejection of Lula in the interior of São Paulo.
The fate of France is one of the main imbroglios to be unleashed by Lula. Also a member of the PSB, the minister would like to be a candidate for governor, but this hypothesis is practically ruled out – sectors of the French party argue that he should be a candidate even with Haddad in the running.
The possibility of him running for the Senate, as he did in 2022, comes up against the president’s preference for ministers Simone Tebet and , who should occupy the two vacancies of candidates for the House.
The President of the Republic appears to be especially excited about the idea of having two women in relevant positions on the São Paulo ticket. Marina is close to joining the PT again to run for office.
The candidacy for lieutenant governor is an open space. Sectors allied with Lula in São Paulo argue that the position be occupied by a businessman, but there would be no definition on the matter.
The president is expected to have a meeting with Haddad and Alckmin next week to discuss more details about the ticket. In early February, .
The concern of Lula and his allies with the election on São Paulo soil is great because the group considered the result obtained in the state essential for the victory of the PT member in the dispute for Planalto in 2022.
In 2018, represented by Haddad in the presidential race, the PT had 7.2 million votes in the second round. In the following election, Lula had 11.5 million in the state – in both cases there was a local defeat, but the improvement in performance made it possible to triumph at the national level.
Haddad was a candidate for governor four years ago and lost, but went to the second round and received 44.7% of the votes in the decisive stage. and helped with Lula’s presidential campaign.
