The president (PT) informed his assistants that he will look for the former president of (-MG) to try to convince him to run for Government of Minas Gerais, which would guarantee a strong platform for the PT member in the second largest electoral college in the country.
Given the contrary signals given by Pacheco in recent months, Lulistas are trying to look for a plan B in Minas, with a range of alternatives that includes senator Cleitinho Azevedo (Republicans), the president of the Legislative Assembly of Minas Gerais, Tadeu Leite (), and the former attorney general of Justice Jarbas Soares.
The mayors of Contagem, Marília Campos, and Juiz de Fora, Margarida Salomão, both PT members, are also mentioned. Mentions of Marília, however, are more frequent for one of the two Senate vacancies.
At least so far, the movement does not have Lula’s support. The president is convinced that Pacheco is the ideal name for the dispute in the state and intends to invite him for a conversation about his political destiny. The PT member has praised the senator in conversations with allies. Furthermore, to reach an agreement, he seeks help from the president of the Senate, (União Brasil-AP).
The PT’s Minas Gerais directory would also make a possible alliance between Lula and Cleitinho difficult. PT members from the state say that the senator gives mixed signals and see him as a Bolsonarist — last weekend, for example, Cleitinho supported the federal deputy (PL-MG) for the freedom of (PL).
In addition to Cleitinho, the president’s allies also identify state deputy Tadeuzinho, president of the Assembly, as a possible candidate for state government.
Recently, however, Lula recommended that PT president, Edinho Silva, postpone negotiations with Tadeuzinho pending a nod from Pacheco. The measure was interpreted by those around Lula as a sign that conversations with Pacheco could evolve.
When contacted, Tadeuzinho stated that he is now a pre-candidate for state deputy. The emedebista said that he has spent the last few months focused on the state’s debt and that any path other than re-election will be discussed from now on with his political group.
Minas Gerais has the second largest electorate in Brazil, surpassed in size only by São Paulo. Traditionally, the presidential candidate who wins on Minas Gerais soil is elected. Since 1945, despite the defeat in Minas, it was in 1950.
Lula and his allies estimate that the 2026 presidential election will be fierce. Having strong candidates for governor campaigning for the PT member would be important for him not to lose votes he had in the states in 2022. That year, .
The President of the Republic has told allies that he will still seek to have more conversations with Pacheco about the possibility of a candidacy. Lula says, behind the scenes, that he wants to count on the senator for a broad political project. He proposes setting up a platform to provide security for Pacheco to take on the challenge.
Allies of the PT member assess that the PSD senator could run for government with a strong ticket, with the former mayor of (PDT) and Marília Campos as candidates for the Senate. The former mayor of BH Marcio Lacerda has also been harassed as a possible deputy for Pacheco — even with the message already given to people close to him that he does not intend to return to public life.
Pacheco, in turn, has been telling allies that he intends to end his political career at the end of his current term as senator, which ends in February next year. He was among those considered to be nominated for the position of minister of the Federal Supreme Court last year, but the president ended up choosing Jorge Messias. Wanted by Sheetthe parliamentarian did not want to comment.
If he decides to run for governor, Pacheco would probably have to change parties. The PSD, to which it is currently affiliated, now also houses vice-governor Mateus Simões, who is a pre-candidate for government with the support of the current governor, (Novo).
Lula would have indicated to Pacheco that the best party for him to run for, if he so decides, would be the MDB. A possible migration would be negotiated through senators Eduardo Braga (MDB-AM) and (MDB-AL).
There would also be the possibility of Alcolumbre finding space for Pacheco in the . In this case, it would be necessary to offer more guarantees to the senator. One of the possibilities would be, always through the president of the Senate, to try to appoint a Pacheco ally as president of the party’s Minas Gerais directory.
With the scenario undefined, PT sectors in Minas Gerais are discussing the possibility of launching the dean of UFMG, Sandra Goulart, as a candidate for government. It is unlikely, however, that Lula and the national leadership of the PT will leave the definition of a majority candidacy in the state to the local section of the party.
PT members from Minas Gerais think it is possible that Cleitinho will not be a candidate and will nominate his brother, Gleidson Azevedo, mayor of Divinópolis, as Simões’ deputy. The senator has ruled out this hypothesis.
