The Bahia-born businessman Carlos Seabra Suarez, known in Brazil's energy sector as the "Gas King", is the largest individual campaign donor in the 2026 election so far. He transferred R$ 5.7 million to the national directorates of six parties that Folha de S.Paulo describes as center and center-right: MDB, PP, PSD, PSDB, União Brasil and PSB. The figures come from the first partial campaign finance report released by the electoral court.
The transfers, made between September 8 and 10, were R$ 1 million each to the MDB, PP, PSD, PSDB and União Brasil, plus R$ 700,000 to the PSB, according to O Globo. None of the money went directly to a candidate. Individual donors have given R$ 374.9 million to parties and candidates, according to the Folha tally based on the report released on Tuesday (15). O Globo, using data closed on September 14, counted R$ 368.7 million. Suarez alone accounts for about 1.5% of all money from individual donors, the newspaper calculated.
Who is the "Gas King"
Suarez, 74, started in real estate in Salvador. He is one of the founders of the construction firm OAS, and the "S" in the company's name comes from his surname, O Globo recalls. After leaving the contractor, he moved into natural gas. He founded Termogás and bought stakes in state distributors such as Potigás, Cergás, Algás and the Paraná gas company, Folha reports. The nickname comes from his control of eight distributors across northern, northeastern and central-western states, plus the federal district.
Companies have been banned from funding Brazilian campaigns since 2015. Suarez therefore gives as an individual. He had already donated R$ 750,000 in the 2022 election and about R$ 1.2 million in the 2024 municipal races. According to Folha, his work in Brasília defends the sector's current regulatory framework and the expansion of gas infrastructure through private investment. He did not respond to the newspaper's request for comment.
The rest of the ranking
Second place belongs to Alexandre Grendene Bartelle, co-founder of the shoe manufacturer Grendene, with R$ 3.6 million, according to O Globo. He took the opposite path from Suarez and gave directly to campaigns: R$ 2.5 million to Luciano Lorenzini Zucco (PL), a candidate for governor of Rio Grande do Sul, R$ 500,000 to Ciro Gomes (PSDB), running for governor of Ceará, and R$ 500,000 to Cid Gomes (PSB), a Senate candidate in the same state. Another R$ 100,000 went to a state assembly candidate in Rio Grande do Sul. Suarez's wife, Abigail Silva Suarez, donated R$ 620,000 to three campaigns in Bahia, the family's home state.
The final destination of Suarez's money does not yet show up in any candidate's books. Because the funds went to party directorates, each party decides how to pass them on. If that happens, Suarez will not appear as a direct donor in the candidates' reports, O Globo explains. Party accounts follow their own calendar and can only be filed with the electoral court next year. Cash donations must be reported within 72 hours, and all data is available on the DivulgaCandContas system of the TSE, Brazil's Superior Electoral Court.