The governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas, one of the most solid and competitive figures of the Brazilian right, confirmed on Monday his open support for the presidential pre-candidacy of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. The gesture organizes the opposition field and strengthens the leadership of the Bolsonaro family ahead of the 2026 elections.
De Freitas, whose name had also been strongly considered as a possible candidate, broke several days of silence after the announcement by Flávio Bolsonaro, backed by his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro. During a press conference, he was clear: "Flávio will count on us." In addition, he reaffirmed his "non-negotiable loyalty" to the former president, a victim of judicial persecution driven by sectors aligned with Lula.
The right organizes and expands
The governor stated that Flávio Bolsonaro is taking on "a great responsibility", since he will compete with other strong leaders who have also announced their pre-candidacies for the 2026 elections, including Romeu Zema (Minas Gerais) and Ronaldo Caiado (Goiás). Far from proposing a split, De Freitas emphasized that the Brazilian right is expanding its political offering to confront current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose economic and institutional project is seen by broad sectors as retrograde and with authoritarian tendencies.
Although some center-right parties tried to resist Flávio Bolsonaro's candidacy—and even pressured Tarcísio to head the ticket—the governor made it clear that his priority is to seek re-election in São Paulo. However, his explicit support reshapes the landscape and gives the senator national strength.
