The first campaign trip by Flávio Bolsonaro to Brazil's Northeast exposed the political isolation of the PL party's presidential candidate in a region widely seen as decisive for the election's outcome. According to newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, the candidate was welcomed in Maceió on Tuesday (25) only by right-wing politicians and activists, saw allies from other parties avoid appearing alongside him, and leaned on support from religious leaders to try to expand his base there.
The lack of broader backing stood out in Alagoas, the home state of Flávio's running mate, congressman Alfredo Gaspar. Allies of the candidate told Folha the difficulty reflects the challenge the Bolsonarista campaign faces across the Northeast because of President Lula's (Workers' Party, PT) popularity in the region. Those allies said the campaign's current strategy is to work quietly on alliances that would only be made public in a potential runoff.
Recent electoral history helps explain the caution. In 2022, Lula won the national election by a margin of just 2.1 million votes over then-President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), a result heavily shaped by the 12.5 million vote lead Lula built in the Northeast, Brazil's second-most populous region. Given that history, Flávio Bolsonaro's campaign is trying to narrow the gap there with support from governors elected outright in the first round in states where they face PT-backed rivals.
Tactical neutrality in round one
Per Folha's reporting, the campaign's plan calls for centrão and center-right candidates allied with the PL to stay neutral in the presidential race during this first phase, to avoid risking votes from Lula supporters, particularly in smaller inland towns. Only in a second phase, once state-level races are decided, are these allies expected to campaign openly against Lula and the PT.
For that reason, the PL has backed gubernatorial and Senate candidates without demanding public reciprocity right away. That includes ACM Neto (União Brasil) in Bahia, Ciro Gomes (PSDB) in Ceará and Joel Rodrigues (PP) in Piauí. The party is also backing Raquel Lyra (PSD) in Pernambuco, even without expecting a future endorsement. In Bahia, ACM Neto is running against Governor Jerônimo Rodrigues (PT) but has endorsed Ronaldo Caiado (PSD) for president, avoiding a direct clash with Lula. Because Bahia's gubernatorial race is expected to be decided in the first round, allies of both Flávio and Neto say the understanding is that Neto will join the national campaign once the state contest wraps up.
Folha's report is so far the only available account of the details of this Maceió trip; other outlets had not published their own coverage of the event at the time of writing.