PSD must announce by March 27th who will compete for Planalto; Eduardo Leite (RS), Ronaldo Caiado (GO) and Ratinho Junior (PR) compete for the vacancy
The PSD pre-candidates for Palácio do Planalto —the governors (RS), (GO) and (PR)— signed a commitment to support the name chosen by the party led by . The definition of the presidential candidate will take place until March 27th.
The party brought forward the deadline, which was previously April 15 and then moved to . The new anticipation of the choice is part of the PSD’s strategy of starting political articulation in advance for 2026. The definition of the candidate should guide alliance negotiations and the formation of a possible coalition for the presidential contest.
RATINHO JUNIOR DIES WITH LULA
Research released on March 3 indicates that, in a possible 2nd round, the president (PT), within the margin of error, with the governor of Paraná, Ratinho Junior (PSD), and the senator (PL-RJ).
The president has 43% of voting intentions against 39% for the governor of Paraná. Lula has 46% against Eduardo Leite’s 35%. Against Ronaldo Caiado, the PT member scores 45%, compared to 36% for the governor of Goiás.
The survey interviewed 2,000 people across Brazil from February 28 to March 2, 2026. The margin of error is 2 pp (percentage points), plus or minus. The confidence level is 95%. The survey is registered with the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) under protocol BR-09353/2026. It cost R$80,000 and was paid for with its own resources. Here is it (PDF – 6 MB).
AFFILIATIONS
Ronaldo Caiado said on March 6 that he will officially join the PSD on Saturday (Mar 14, 2026), in Jaraguá (GO). The affiliation is scheduled for 9:30 am and will be attended by Kassab and hundreds of leaders from Goiás. The event should also mark the announcement of Daniel Vilela’s (MDB) pre-candidacy for the government of Goiás. He is Caiado’s current vice-president.
On the same day, Eduardo Leite announced his candidacy for the Presidency. On his social media profile, he published a “manifesto to Brazil” with several proposals and claimed to represent a “third way”. The governor joined the PSD in May 2025, after 24 years in the PSDB.
Ratinho Junior is the one who has been in the party the longest. He joined in 2016, when he was still Secretary of State for Urban Development of Paraná.
