The former minister (PT), pre-candidate for the government of São Paulo, stated on Thursday (April 9, 2026) that he wants to talk to the president of the PSD, to hear his assessment of the State. He declared that he had sent a message to the leader. On the same day, Kassab ruled out an alliance with the PT member and reaffirmed his support for the governor (Republicans).
“I didn’t get to talk to him, but I would like to hear from him. Kassab has a vision of the State of São Paulo, politics, has administrative experience, I would like to hear from him”said Haddad in an interview with . He stated that there is no scheduled meeting, but he hopes to talk in the future.
The PT member reported that the exchange of messages was brief. “It was one way and one back”he declared. According to him, Kassab’s response was: “Look, in due course”.
In , in which he participated alongside , president of the PT, Kassab said he received a message from Haddad and indicated an openness to dialogue, but ruled out changing his electoral position. “He sent a happy Easter message and I reciprocated. I can even [conversar com ele]because I think that discussing public policies and ideas is very important”he declared. “The issue of support for governor Tarcísio is an issue already decided by the PSDB”he stated, according to .
Haddad said that he usually talks to different political actors before consolidating positions. According to him, the objective is to avoid hasty evaluations during the campaign. “I don’t like participating in a campaign and being refuted by a fact. I like to be sure of what I’m going to say”he declared.
The pre-candidate stated that he intends to structure his government plan before discussing alliances. “For you to claim anything, you have to have a good government plan”he said. According to him, the PT’s proposal will be “better than what was done in São Paulo in the last almost 4 years”.
Haddad said he was concerned about State indicators, such as education, health, security and investments. “Reading the news, things don’t seem as serious as I think they are”these.
When commenting on the possibility of support from the PSDB, he avoided anticipating scenarios. “When you start a conversation, you don’t start with high expectations. It’s good to want to understand what’s going on”he said. According to him, the initial focus is to understand Kassab’s reasons for maintaining support for the current governor.
“Why would he still support Tarcísio, after these 3 years? What is the mark or indicator that he is looking at to think that this government deserves continuity?”he questioned. He then stated: “Suddenly I’m wrong and he’s right.”.
Haddad stated that he maintains broad dialogue in the political field. “I talk to everyone. I’ve talked my whole life”he said, when mentioning negotiations in Congress during his time in the federal government.
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🚨NOW: Haddad confirms conversation with Kassab and questions PSDB’s support for Tarcísio
Former Finance Minister Fernando Haddad confirmed that he sought out the president of the PSD, Gilberto Kassab, to open dialogue and understand the current political scenario.
According to Haddad, the conversation also had…
— Election Research (@EleicaoBr2026)
Fernando Haddad the Ministry of Finance in March to dedicate himself to the São Paulo government campaign. The departure was articulated as part of the strategy to strengthen the PT platform in the State.
At an event held in São Bernardo do Campo on March 19, Haddad said that the candidacy would not be a “sacrifice” and that the decision considered the chances of victory and the possibility of changes in state management.
São Paulo has the largest electoral college in the country, with more than 34 million voters, and is considered strategic for the 2026 dispute.
