Brazilian voters have donated at least 8.8 million reais (roughly $1.6 million) through crowdfunding platforms to 2026 election campaigns, according to a survey by G1 based on data pulled Tuesday, August 25, from DivulgaCand, the disclosure platform of Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE). Half of that total, about 4.2 million reais, is concentrated among just ten candidates. The figures were reported to the TSE by four crowdfunding companies that have already begun filing financial disclosures: Elegis (336,486.48 reais), Conectei (20,212.00 reais), Contribua (20,236.59 reais) and QueroApoiar (8,481,538.80 reais).
G1 notes that despite the TSE data being updated continuously, the figures reported by the platforms do not necessarily reflect the full amount raised so far. Disclosure only happens once funds are transferred into a campaign's bank account, a step candidates must complete within 72 hours under Brazilian electoral law, and it is candidates themselves who submit the data to the electoral system. The window for parties and candidates to reconcile accounts covering the whole campaign runs from September 9 to 13, with complete filings allowed until November 14.
Who leads the ranking
Counting only virtual donation platforms, the ten most-supported candidates have collected 4.2 million reais combined, more than half of everything reported so far. At the top is Renan Santos of the Missao party, a presidential pre-candidate, with 1.26 million reais, followed by Marcel Van Hattem of Novo, running for a Senate seat from Rio Grande do Sul, with 743,000 reais. Next come Jones Manoel of the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL), a federal deputy candidate in Pernambuco, with 573,000 reais, Rodrigo Spada of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), running for federal deputy in Sao Paulo, with 469,000 reais, and Kim Kataguiri of Missao, also a federal deputy candidate in Sao Paulo, with 216,000 reais. Rounding out the top ten are Humberto Matos (Communist Party of Brazil, state deputy candidate in Rio Grande do Sul, 207,000 reais), Flavio Bolsonaro (Liberal Party, presidential pre-candidate, 203,000 reais), Deputado Caravina (Brazilian Social Democracy Party, state deputy candidate in Mato Grosso do Sul, 196,000 reais), Professor Jose (Brazilian Socialist Party, federal deputy candidate in Rio de Janeiro, 185,000 reais) and Elias Jabbour (Communist Party of Brazil, federal deputy candidate in Rio de Janeiro, 184,000 reais).
According to G1, nearly all the names at the top of the ranking have a strong social media presence, and most lean right. Political scientist Marco Antonio Teixeira, a professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV), told G1 this is no coincidence: right-wing politicians have been active on social media for longer, while the left only recently started engaging with social media. He sees a direct correlation between financial support and digital reach, since social platforms let candidates mobilize voters who are not involved in parties, unions or traditional associations but who want to engage politically from their screens.
Teixeira also stressed that the ranking reflects years of organizational groundwork rather than a spontaneous phenomenon. Renan Santos and Kim Kataguiri benefit from the Missao party's infrastructure, while Jones Manoel, who joined PSOL in March, has nearly 2 million Instagram followers and a history of individual activism that predates his party affiliation. Elias Jabbour, an economics professor at Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), previously advised former president Dilma Rousseff at the New Development Bank in Shanghai, known as the BRICS bank, and Rodrigo Spada is a former Sao Paulo state tax auditor who led the National Association of State Tax Auditors.
Within the QueroApoiar platform, Missao is the party that has raised the most so far, one of the small parties that will receive only the minimum share of the TSE's Electoral Fund, 3,307,679.85 reais. Amanda Vettorazzo, a Sao Paulo city councilwoman who coordinates Santos's campaign, told G1 that Missao will have very limited Electoral Fund resources and no Party Fund, which will be split among the other candidates except pre-candidate Renan Santos, who will raise his own funds through online crowdfunding. Electoral law attorney Francisco Zardo told G1 this reliance on self-generated funds explains why other presidential pre-candidates have not yet launched crowdfunding drives.