The third state that gave the most votes to () in 2022, Santa Catarina is today the scene of a new split in the former president’s political group. The episode involving a candidacy for the Senate in 2026 exposes the clan’s attempt to protect itself, renews accusations of treason and elects a new target of attacks: state deputy Ana Campagnolo (PL).
The fight involves the parliamentarian, who has the most votes in the Santa Catarina Legislature; (PL), son of the former president and councilor for ; Carol de Toni (PL-SC), federal deputy with the most votes in the state; the governor (PL); and Senator Espiridão Amin (PP-SC).
Since June, when he became a senator for the state, there has been noise in the Bolsonaro base. The Santa Catarina right has been organizing for more than a year to launch two candidacies: that of deputy Carol de Toni and senator Amin.
The former president wants to help his son get elected to the House to guarantee a loyal and Bolsonarist base, but above all because he understands that he can better protect him from offensives by the Judiciary. The choice of the state was made pragmatically, as it was more viable to elect it in a region with a large Bolsonaro majority.
Last weekend, Carol de Toni, about to give birth, was informed by governor Jorginho Mello (PL) that she would have to leave the party if she wanted to join the Senate. He is trying to guarantee a broad range of alliances for his re-election, now with the PP, to compete against the mayor of Chapecó, João Rodrigues (PSD).
The deputy was then raffled off — none of the allies deny this. The stress is now in search of culprits, with exchanges of barbs and texts on social networks, Bolsonarism’s favorite arena for dispute.
Carol herself did not speak out on the topic as she was at the end of her pregnancy. She has already been talking to Novo for a few months, but will only decide whether to change parties later.
Her main spokesperson has been Campagnolo, with whom she is close. The state deputy, who became famous for preaching against feminism and who wrote a children’s book with Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG), criticized the fact that the deputy was raffled and the party’s decision to impose Carlos “from top to bottom”.
“I spoke to Caroline and Governor Jorginho a little while ago [na segunda-feira]. Both confirmed that she WILL BE FORCED to leave the PL. With her arrival, she lost her place in the party”, wrote the state deputy.
The movement was poorly received by the former president’s children and his supporters, who quickly accused her of infidelity for going against Bolsonaro’s orders. To point out the supposed ingratitude, they recovered old tweets and video cuts.
“What you can’t do is ask for our support and, in return, deny support and subordination. You can’t want the benefit of leadership, but refuse the burden that comes with it”, stated Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP), in a long text on social media, defending his brother Carlos.
He called her statements “totally unacceptable” in form and content. The deputy then retorted: “You contradicted your father when the hypothesis of him launching Tarcísio for President was discussed. And maybe he will. What will it be like? Why can you express your opposition and the other allies cannot?”
Carlos Bolsonaro, in turn, said he renounced a “stable and predictable future” out of loyalty to principles, not caprice, in reference to his move to Santa Catarina. “Today, unfortunately, it is clear that many of those who benefited from this journey treat former allies as disposable,” he said.
Despite the coalition of which his party is part, he says that the pre-candidates are him and Carol de Toni. The former first lady (PL) also shared a photo of herself with the federal deputy and said she supported her.
Last month, Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest, was with Carol and Amin. The former president told the deputy that she had a good name and gave her approval to try to become viable. Amin told the reporter, after the meeting, that he is a friend of the former president, and that it was early to discuss support and that there was still a lot to happen.
Today, when contacted by the reporter, the senator denied seeing controversies in his state. “There are no controversies. I’m not going to comment on anything. I’m a pre-candidate for the Senate, I depend on my health, my party and my federation. This will be discussed next year. What will be done in the other parties doesn’t concern me”, he stated.
Allies of the former president, the clan and parliamentarians sought to minimize public disagreements. The leader of the PL in the Chamber, (RJ), summarized it as a fight for space and defending what one believes in. “The only place where everyone has to think alike is in the dictatorship. That’s not the case with the PL.”
