José Guimarães (CE), coordinator of the PT’s new election working group and leader of the parliamentary government, said Finance Minister Fernando Haddad must “lead President Lula’s platform in São Paulo.” “He is our main political leader,” he explains.
Mr. Haddad has resisted leaving the ministry to become a candidate, but he has heard persistent calls from allies to run for either the São Paulo government or the Senate.
Guimarães said Lula needs to establish a strong platform in three key states: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais. Currently, only the case in Rio de Janeiro is on track due to the candidacy of Mayor Eduardo Paes (PSD), who is seen as the favorite in the election.
In Minas Gerais, Lula is defending the name of another opponent of the project, Senator Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD).
Guimarães said the party’s priority in 2026 after being re-elected as president is to increase its number of senatorial and federal seats. He himself plans to run for Senate in Ceará state. “We need to stop the vast majority of far-right forces, because they are harmful to the country,” he says.
The party wants to reissue a broad front in 2026 for the 2022 elections and dreams of supporting centrist parties such as the MDB, PSD and the Republican Party, but that possibility is now remote. “What we know is that Lula’s front line has to be wider and not just on the left.”
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