For some of them, (Republicanos) came out better than expected and proved to be a more appropriate name than itself () to honor the Bolsonarist legacy. For others, the former president has no one suitable as a replacement, but action must be taken now that, in addition to being ineligible, he is also ineligible. The governor of , then, would be the most palatable option among right-wing cadres.
In any case, the main evangelical leaders have converged to endorse Tarcísio as the conservative camp’s option for the Presidency in 2026, more than the former first lady, an exponent of this religious segment and who is in conflict with the former president’s children.
There are no signs of predilection in this group for a candidacy with the name Bolsonaro at the head of the ticket, a hypothesis that excites a Bolsonaro wing suspicious of right-wing governors considered for next year’s election — apart from Tarcísio, there are (-GO), (Novo-MG), Ratinho Júnior (-PR) and (PSD-RS). There is talk of former first lady Michelle as being at most a possible vice-president for Tarcísio.
With the official speech that he is a candidate for re-election in São Paulo, —that he was also the target of Bolsonaro, his political godfather convicted of an attempted coup d’état, in the dispute against (PT), which is still skating in the segment, although it is trying this year.
Evangelical leaders heard by the Sheet they quote the Gospel of Matthew to preach unity around the governor, quite amidst the series of splits on the right: “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.”
Among those publicly sympathetic to a ticket led by Tarcísio is the apostle Estevam Hernandes, leader of Renascer em Cristo and creator of , with whom the politician has a friendly relationship. “I think he would be the ideal candidate for this moment in Brazil.”
Others who appreciate the idea: Juanribe Pagliarin, founder of the Paz e Vida Christian Community and the evangelical radio station Feliz FM, and Edson Rebustini, president of the São Paulo Pastors Council. Apostle César Augusto, from Fonte da Vida in Goiás, speaks of “the candidate who best represents agendas aligned with Christianity”.
Bishop Robson Rodovalho (Sara Nossa Terra) calls it “almost unanimous”. Tarcísio, it is worth remembering, is from the party line of the Universal Kingdom of God, the Republicans. Just as the governor accumulates ambiguities between moderation (as when he negotiated with Lula) and (as when he attacked the Judiciary and called him a tyrant), so does the party: there is the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, in the PT administration.
Among evangelicals, another one who holds Tarcísio in high regard is the apostle Valdemiro Santiago, who welcomed him to his World Cup of the Power of God. The governor prophesied to the faithful “promises of healing, of prosperity, of salvation”.
Tarcísio is also welcomed into the two Assemblies of God with the greatest political capital, the Belém and Madureira ministries. In October, he went to celebrate the 91st birthday of pastor José Wellington Bezerra da Costa, from Belém, and there he questioned “how many people here were baptized in water” and “gained a new life”.
Even , who has already criticized him for what he sees as a lack of courage to defend Bolsonaro and attack the minister of the (Supreme Federal Court) Alexandre de Moraes, is conciliatory when talking about the governor. “I may have differences with Tarcísio, but he is the best name. After Bolsonaro, it’s him.” For the pastor, Tarcísio “embodies the same proportion as Bolsonaro” in evangelical leadership. “There’s no one who’s like, ‘No, I don’t like him’.”
Leader of the PL and former president of the evangelical bench, he is one of the enthusiasts of the Tarcísio-Michelle composition. But he has already mentioned other combinations, such as Tarcísio paired with senator Tereza Cristina (PP-MS) or Ciro Gomes (PSDB-CE).
Tarcísio is a Catholic fluent in evangelical oratory. He inherited it from his mother. “Dona Maria Alice was the one who taught me to bend the knee, to understand the word of God and the meaning of divine grace”, I said about her, an evangelical who sends prayers to her son.
His knowledge of the Bible, according to pastors, differentiates him from other Catholics close to the segment, but who clearly do not know the Scriptures in depth. Bolsonaro would be an example.
In the 2024 municipal campaign, by () due to a supposed lack of biblical support: he said that the mayor of São Paulo only quoted a memorized verse at the behest of the marketer, even so giving a “stuff”, and asked him to point out “at least two of José’s sons” to show that “he is assiduous in his words, a man of prayer”.
In the case of Tarcísio, speech and voice, when in religious environments, are compared to the preaching of a pastor.
This Thursday (4), an event at Palácio dos Bandeirantes featured faithful singing “1000 Graus”. Popular in churches, the praise that speaks of “a thousand degrees of anointing” was sung by Tarcísio in the March for Jesus, alongside Estevam Hernandes and Bishop Sonia Hernandes. That same afternoon, he wore sunglasses that read “Jesus” on one lens and “Saved” on the other.
Pastors heard by Sheet They also say they welcome the governor’s more diplomatic style in contrast to Bolsonaro’s short temper.
They understand that the stance of open confrontation with opponents is a hallmark of Bolsonarism. Again the Bible, now the book of Ecclesiastes: there is “a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build.”
