Alongside Leite and Caiado, Gabriel Souza launches pre-candidacy for the government of RS

The vice-governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Gabriel Souza (MDB), launched his pre-candidacy for state government on Saturday. The event was attended by the current occupant of the Piratini Palace Eduardo Leite (PSD) and the candidate for the Planalto Ronaldo Caiado (PSD). The emedebista criticized national alliances of opponents with PT and Bolsonarism and reiterated support for Caiado in the dispute for the presidency.

“We have our president with heart and choice, his name is Ronaldo Caiado”, highlighted Souza, also stating that he does not have a “pet” president.

While former deputy Juliana Brizola (PDT) has the support of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), federal deputy Luciano Zucco (PL) is from the party of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Souza, on the other hand, is close to Leite as an electoral asset.

Technical draw

Juliana leads the race for state government, according to a Genial/Quaest survey released in April. She appears with 24% of voting intentions, against Zucco’s 21%. Due to the three percentage point margin of error, they are technically tied. Souza is in third place with 6%.

Rio Grande do Sul has the three main majority tickets already defined. Souza nominated state deputy Ernani Polo (PSD) as deputy. Former governor Germano Rigotto (MDB) and the government leader in the Legislative Assembly, Frederico Antunes (PSD), complete the list as pre-candidates for the Senate.

With Leite’s change of direction — who decided to remain in office until the end of his term after being passed over by the PSD as the party’s name for the Presidency —, Souza, who is behind his opponents in the polls, lost the opportunity to have the machine until the elections, which would allow him to expand his reach in the state and seek to consolidate seams with an eye on a stronger candidacy. His campaign, however, says he sees no “harm” in remaining, and is betting on a ticket with “broad political and regional representation”.

Opponents nationalize campaign

Juliana will have Edegar Pretto (PT) as her vice-president, in an alliance announced last week. The names for the Senate are former deputy Manuela D’Ávila (PSOL) and federal deputy Paulo Pimenta (PT). Edegar decided on his pre-candidacy for the government after the PT national directory determined the support of the state nucleus for the PT member.

He had been unanimously chosen to be a candidate for Palácio Piratini with the endorsement of the allied parties PSOL, PCdoB, PV, Rede and PSB, but national leaders assessed that the alliance with the PDT is more consistent for President Lula’s re-election project.

Zucco, in turn, will have state deputy Silvana Covatti (PP) as a pre-candidate for vice-governor, in addition to federal deputies Marcel Van Hattem (Novo) and Ubiratan Sanderson (PL) for the Senate. In addition to the Novo and PP parties, the parliamentarian also has the formal support of Podemos and Republicans.

The Bolsonarist officially launched his pre-candidacy in April, during an event attended by Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, who will have his platform in the state in the parliamentarian.