Valdemar meets Eduardo and says he is ‘confident’ in André do Prado for the Senate

The national president of the PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, stated this Wednesday, 22nd, that he is “confident” that the president of the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo (Alesp), André do Prado (PL), will be the candidate for the Senate for the State. The two were in Texas, in the United States, to meet with former deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL), also considered for the position, and are expected to return to Brazil this Thursday, 23rd.

“The conversation was very good, let’s wait, we are confident”, said Valdemar to Estadão. The president of the PL also signaled that the other members of the party have stopped supporting André do Prado, but that Eduardo is the one who will bring the hammer.

The statement comes amid disagreements among members of the right over the best strategy for the Senate race in São Paulo. As Estadão showed, part of the group fears that launching more than one candidacy with an ideological profile will end up benefiting the left by alienating moderate voters and dividing votes from their own camp.

The president of the São Paulo legislature had already been considered as the name to fill one of the vacancies. The obstacle is that, despite being a member of the Liberal Party, the deputy is not part of the group closest to the Bolsonarists.

André do Prado wanted to run as vice-president on the ticket of the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) to try for re-election, but the governor intends to keep his vice-president, Felício Ramuth (PSD). In this scenario, the Senate seat includes the ally, seen as loyal to the government and an important player in the articulation of state administration in the São Paulo Legislature.

Eduardo is considered “owner” of one of the vacancies. However, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) has been living in self-exile in the United States since the beginning of 2025. He is even considering running a campaign remotely, but his brother, senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), a pre-candidate for president, rejects the idea.

Tarcísio was also not in favor of the strategy. He signals support for the name of former Secretary of Public Security of São Paulo Guilherme Derrite (PP), who to date is the most consolidated candidate on the right.

The governor of São Paulo has already defended with the group that the second vacancy should be allocated to a more moderate name, and not another with an ideological profile. However, as Estadão showed, he does not intend to be directly involved in this articulation. Tarcísio has already told allies that André has his support, but made it clear that the final word on the choice rests with Eduardo.

Bolsonarists also claim that former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) showed a preference for the name of Colonel Ricardo Mello Araújo (PL), vice-mayor of the capital of São Paulo and a close ally.

Part of the right also raises another concern: the possibility of having not two, but three candidacies from the field for the Senate, which would divide the votes.

Federal deputy and former Minister of the Environment Ricardo Salles (Novo) has been under pressure from the group to give up his candidacy and run for re-election. The parliamentarian received an invitation from the PP to join, but declined.

“I’m a candidate for the Senate anyway. Now, having three candidates from the field is making the left’s game easier, as the votes will be fragmented”, says Salles.