At least eight governors who are at the end of their second term have decided to remain in office to lead their own succession and will not run for this year’s.
The scenario includes governors who had plans to run for President frustrated, who broke with their deputies and who face turbulent political scenarios in their states.
Ten state managers resign by next Saturday (4), the deadline for non-compliance according to electoral legislation. Another nine governors remain in office to run for re-election.
The number of governors who do not participate in the election is the highest in recent elections. In 2022, only 5 of the 27 state managers were left out of the polls, a number that was even lower in 2018, when only four were not candidates.
Among the names that remain in office until the end of the term are Ratinho Junior (), governor of Paraná, and (PSD), from Rio Grande do Sul. Both projected themselves as candidates for Planalto, but were left out of the race for different reasons.
Mouse gave up of his own free will. Eduardo Leite was passed over by the PSDB. Outside of the presidential race, he decided not to be a candidate and will support his vice-president, Gabriel Souza () as a candidate for government.
In five states, governors broke with their deputies and decided not to run for office so as not to hand over the position to a potential opponent. In Alagoas, Paulo Dantas (MDB) remains in post, but the atmosphere is one of consensus. He will support the return of his predecessor, (MDB).
The governor of Rio Grande do Norte, Fátima Bezerra (), chose to stay in office after breaking up with her deputy Walter Alves (MDB), who will be a candidate for state deputy. The double resignation would result in an indirect election for a buffer mandate, with an uncertain scenario in the Legislative Assembly.
Fátima was one of the PT’s main bets to expand its bench in the Senate, but it postponed its plans to guarantee a strong platform and try to succeed its Finance Secretary, Cadu Xavier (PT).
In Maranhão, governor Carlos Brandão (no party) and his deputy Felipe Camarão (PT) are protagonists in the political and judicial field. Both face and remain alert until the decompatibilization deadline.
The tendency is for the two to be on opposite platforms: the governor chose his nephew Orleans Brandão (MDB) to succeed, while Camarão could be a candidate for government or support Eduardo Braide (PSD), mayor of São Luís.
Wilson Lima (-AM), Marcos Rocha (PSD-RO) and Vanderlei Barbosa (-TO) also remain in office, all at the end of their terms and facing disputes with their deputies.
Among the governors who resigned, Minas Gerais (Novo) opened the line and passed the baton last week to his vice-president and pre-candidate for re-election Mateus Simões (PSD). Zema tries to qualify as a presidential candidate, but is courted to be on the ticket as vice president.
One of those seeking an alliance with the Minas Gerais native is Ronaldo Caiado, governor of Goiás who was confirmed on Monday (30) as a candidate for President by the PSD with a speech aligned to the right. He targets the conservative electorate, running in the same lane as the senator (PL).
Caiado formalized his departure from the government of Goiás this Tuesday (31), handing over to his vice-president and pre-candidate for succession Daniel Vilela (MDB).
Another eight governors will run for the Senate, following the most common path for state managers at the end of their terms.
Among them are names like Helder Barbalho (MDB-PA), João Azevêdo (PSB-PB), allies of President Lula, (União Brasil-MT) and Gladson Cameli (PP-AC), who should reinforce Flávio Bolsonaro’s (PL) platform.
(PL) resigned from the government of Rio de Janeiro on March 23 to run for the Senate, but faces legal issues. The former governor was convicted by the (Superior Electoral Court) for abuse of economic and political power in a decision that.
Nine governors will try to renew their mandate in October. Among them is (Republican) governor who was even considered presidential candidate, but will support Flávio Bolsonaro. He should repeat the 2022 dispute against (PT).
Three PT governors will run for a new term, but only Rafael Fonteles (PT), from Piauí, has a more comfortable scenario and is heading towards a smooth re-election.
The governor of Bahia, (PT), will repeat the clash against the former mayor of Salvador ACM Neto (União Brasil), amid turmoil within his allied base.
In Ceará, governor Elmano de Freitas (PT) faces an even more complex scenario. Research showed that the former governor () leads the dispute with .
To top it off, Elmano will remain until the conventions under the shadow of former governor Camilo Santana (PT). He left the Ministry of Education to remain eligible and could replace the current governor in the race.
