Boulos escapes friction with Nunes and Tabata in the pre-campaign – 11/02/2023 – Power

Federal deputy Guilherme Boulos (PSOL) adopted as a practice in the pre-campaign for São Paulo City Hall to avoid direct clashes with opponents who have criticized him, such as Ricardo Nunes (MDB) and Tabata Amaral (PSB), in a strategy that embeds electoral calculations.

With the support of President Lula (PT) and leadership in the polls, Boulos has been advised to avoid arguing with opponents and take a stand on controversial issues without falling into provocations.

The offensive against him has expanded in recent weeks, first with the strike against privatizations in São Paulo, which had the support of PSOL and opened a flank for attacks on the affiliate, and then with the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas, an issue that opened a crisis in the candidacy.

The two episodes were a big deal for Nunes, who is seeking re-election and the support of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL). The mayor raised his tone against the psolist and got closer to the Bolsonarist rhetoric when, for example, saying in an interview with Eldorado radio that Boulos “is a friend of the Hamas gang.”

The deputy outlined a discreet reaction during the transport strike that stopped the capital of São Paulo at the beginning of October. He agreed with the mobilization against the privatizations proposed by governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), but was economical in responding to the emedebista’s jabs.

The mayor took advantage of the fact that the president of the São Paulo Metro Workers’ Union, Camila Lisboa, is a member of the PSOL to speak of a “party of chaos” and speculate that the city will plunge into disorder if Boulos is elected. The tactic is to reinforce the labels of invader, radical and extremist, which the psolist tries to deconstruct.

Nunes’ jabs were made on social media and interviews throughout the day of disruption due to the interruption of subway and train lines. The deputy chose to issue a note regretting “seeing a mayor who abandoned the city wanting to make this (the strike) an electoral platform.”

Days later, when war broke out in the Middle East, Boulos’ opponents joined together in a negative campaign, recalling his support for the Palestinian cause with the intention of associating him with Hamas. The main attacks came from influential figures from Bolsonarism and the MBL (Movimento Brasil Livre).

The fact that Boulos did not mention Hamas in his first position on the conflict contributed to the strategy of right-wing forces. The absence led to the departure of former state secretary of Health Jean Gorinchteyn from the team preparing the government plan for the PSOL candidacy.

Gorinchteyn, who is Jewish and a supporter of the State of Israel, said he would leave his role arguing that the psolist took a pro-Palestinian stance without condemning the Islamic extremist group.

At the same time, pieces of disinformation began to circulate. The main one was the false claim that the people with Boulos in a photo taken in 2018 during a visit to the West Bank were Hamas terrorists — in fact, they were two other PSOL members.

Surveys indicated an increase in the dissemination of content and fake news about the pre-candidate on social networks and messaging groups. There is evidence of the use of robots and the orchestration of attacks.

Under pressure, Boulos went to the plenary of the Chamber of Deputies to give a speech in which he finally mentioned Hamas, but without qualifying the group responsible for the attacks in Israel. It was an attempt to avoid the repercussions of the previous speech, considered ambiguous by advisors.

The parliamentarian decided, however, not to directly rebut his detractors on the topic, including Nunes.

The stance was the same when Tabata, in an interview with Sheet in September, she announced that she was a pre-candidate because she did not feel represented by either the current mayor’s project or that of her colleague in the Chamber. The deputy also stated that Boulos’ biggest problem “is the lack of seriousness and maturity”.

The pre-candidate gave another signal that he seeks a friendly relationship with Tabata, at least for now, after she reported that she was suffering threats to her safety for having entered the municipal dispute.

On X (formerly Twitter) and on Instagram, Boulos’ profile commented on the PSEBist’s message: “All solidarity, Tabata! Political violence will not prevail.” There was no public response from the opponent.

Assistants, behind the scenes, give different justifications for defensive behavior at this stage.

In the case of Nunes, the assessment around Boulos is that the rival has exploited the controversies in search of visibility, which will be enhanced in the event of a response, and tries to divert the focus from municipal issues and management problems, which have been pointed out by the psolist.

The understanding is that entering into a debate with him about Hamas, for example, would be to encourage a discussion that only interests the mayor and distance himself from topics that are really important for the campaign. Boulos has said he wants to discuss the city.

There is also a perception that it is inappropriate for the leader in the polls to pick a fight with those behind. In Datafolha, in August, Boulos scored 32%, followed by Nunes, with 24%, and Tabata, with 11%. She was technically tied with Kim Kataguiri (União Brasil), who had 8%.

Boulos has preferred to challenge Nunes in statements and on social media, but avoiding giving the mayor a leading role and maintaining the line of linking him to Bolsonaro. In a recent video, he said that the emedebista “seems to be unwilling to hold the debate at a good level”.

In relation to Tabata, it is seen that it is bad to burn bridges with a competitor that could become an ally. In the PSOL and PT projections, Boulos will reach the second round against Nunes and should seek the support of the PSE. Hence the need to regulate rivalry.

Another factor taken into account to save the deputy is that she “steals” part of the votes that would have been destined for Nunes, which prevents the mayor from firing. Tabata’s team makes the same interpretation, but considers that it also attracts left-wing voters.

Boulos’ pre-campaign is coordinated by his chief of staff, Josué Rocha, former coordinator of the MTST (Homeless Workers Movement), and Laércio Ribeiro, president of the PT in the city of São Paulo. Marketer Lula Guimarães works with the top management on communication decisions.

The team says that the strategy will be adjusted according to the evolution of the dispute, which means that the deputy will be able to return attacks as the fight intensifies. It is already admitted that this change will be inevitable, but ideally it will occur closer to the election.