The national president of the PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, minimized the CNN the result of a survey that points to the favoritism of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in the 2026 electoral dispute.
The survey also shows that voters who voted for Jair Bolsonaro in 2022 are divided between Marçal and Tarcísio. The governor of São Paulo resists the presidential race in 2026.
“We will win in 2026. Don’t forget that we cast the highest number of votes for mayor in this year’s elections,” Valdemar told CNN.
The party leader also assesses that Marçal will have political difficulties. For him, despite being intelligent, the businessman “has no experience in politics”.
“No one understands everything. It will be difficult for him,” he said.
Valdemar also insists on the possibility of Jair Bolsonaro’s candidacy in 2026. The party leader’s assessment is that, until the presidential election, the ineligibility can be reversed.
In the Federal Supreme Court (STF), however, the hypothesis is assessed as unlikely. The diagnosis is that it is “almost impossible” for the Supreme Court to reverse the decision of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).
If Bolsonaro remains ineligible, the names mentioned at the top of the party are senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) and the governor of Santa Catarina, Jorginho Mello.
The governor of São Paulo, despite being mentioned in the electoral survey, has repeated that his electoral project is to seek re-election to Palácio dos Bandeirantes.
