Right-wing parties list presidential candidates for 2026

The presidents of the parties that supported Jair Bolsonaro’s re-election candidacy – PL, PP and Republicans – are working together behind the scenes to establish a minimum level of coordination between the right-wing pre-candidates for the Presidency of the Republic. At the same time, they are trying to act from the perspective of unity in the 2026 elections. This movement is being closely watched by the PSD, while União Brasil, PSDB and Podemos are keeping their distance at this moment.

The three party chiefs involved in organizing the desired unified candidacy for the Planalto – Valdemar Costa Neto (PL), Ciro Nogueira (PP) and Marcos Pereira (Republicans) – are already reinforcing the defense of a conservative agenda in customs and liberal in the economy as the starting point of the common platform. Furthermore, they manage the influence of Bolsonaro, rendered ineligible by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), now in the strategic role of supporter.

In this pact, without fanfare, the “line” of pre-candidates assembled by the trio has the following preliminary order: governors Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos-SP), Romeu Zema (Novo-MG) and Ratinho Júnior (PSD-PR) and Senator Tereza Cristina (PP-MS), with no chance at the moment to consider other names.

The final choice will depend on the objective conditions of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) being re-elected or his successor, especially in the economic context. The better it is, the assessment is that the greater the risk of defeat for challengers from the right.

For analysts and parliamentarians consulted by People’s Gazette, former Minister of Agriculture Tereza Cristina is the option with the least uncertainty given the scenarios and political calculation, as she is a parliamentarian with seven years left in office and associated with agribusiness, a sector that has registered friction with the government. As for Tarcísio, the governor of SP tends to seek re-election. Zema and Ratinho Jr., in turn, are virtually certain to be elected to the Senate in 2026, the last year of their second terms.

With Tarcísio’s declaration that he will not be a candidate for president in 2026 and that he will support the name indicated by Bolsonaro, the senator from Mato Grosso do Sul consolidates herself as the most obvious presidential candidate at the moment to represent the right. When asked by the press in her state about the chance of running for President, Tereza Cristina said that “being president is something everyone can dream of”. “If my name is included up front, it would be an honor. But it’s still very early,” she said.

Governors Ronaldo Caiado (União Brasil-GO), as the representative of the traditional right, and Eduardo Leite (PSDB-RS), as the alternative for dialogue between different currents, are still trying to be included further on the opposition’s list of bets, as the alternative for dialogue between different currents, still insisting in the so-called third way, largely defeated in the last elections. As for the toucan from Rio Grande do Sul, the bet is on a centrist speech to build a center-right coalition, but it comes up against Bolsonaro’s strength. Furthermore, the PSDB is still in the internal reconstruction phase, which makes any position difficult now.

Despite being mentioned in opinion polls, senator Sergio Moro (União Brasil-PR) is expected to stay out of the dispute and support the candidacy of the amplified right.

Municipal elections will indicate trends for national dispute

The initial arrangement of this political field is under the leadership of Ciro Nogueira (PP), and potential candidates have already been identified. They will follow a progressive calendar, starting with the 2024 municipal elections, which will serve as the basis for the next steps, within the so-called formation of local platforms. Nogueira is betting that the PT will not win any city hall in the capital or prominent city in the interior. He believes that Bolsonaro will lead the process in 2026, defining the consensus name of the right-wing camp to run for President.

Costa Neto, in turn, pursues the goal of appointing a thousand mayors in 2024, consolidating the slogan of “largest party in Brazil” for the PL. Marcos Pereira expects good results by striking a difficult balance between winning votes with funds from the PT government, of which he is formally represented by the Minister of Ports and Airports, deputy Sílvio Costa Filho (PE), and also reaffirming his independence in votes in Congress and its programmatic conservatism.

The right expects Bolsonaro to play a significant role as an electoral campaigner, especially for the PL. Even with the entry of the PP and the Republicans into the Lula government having implications for next year, the presidents of these parties are trying to contain the wear and tear on voters, establishing “barriers” in relation to the government.

Political scientist Ismael Almeida sees recent statements by party presidents as an endorsement of this list and sees 2024 as a referendum on it. “More than ever, next year’s elections will serve as a well-calibrated thermometer to measure the climate in the electorate. Furthermore, it is possible that this time we will not see strange alliances that normally occur in municipal elections”, he assesses.

Almeida recalls that a mere conjecture of union between PL and PT was enough to close tickets in municipalities for Costa Neto to be urged to take a radical stance against this possible agreement. “He was emphatic and completely ruled out such a possibility. The opposition is real,” he says.

Marcos Queiroz, political analyst at the consultancy Arko Advice, points out that the political seam carried out by PL and important wings of PP and Republicans, with the support of more ideologically cohesive leaders, has not yet won full support from the portions of these two parties that joined the ministry of Squid. These groups, considered pragmatic, hope to obtain electoral advantages by joining the government, like the deputies linked to the president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), responsible for appointing the current Minister of Sports, André Fufuca (PP-MA) .

Deputy Maurício Marcon (Podemos-RS) considers an evolution of the party framework when leaders perceive the consolidation of a clearly right-wing electorate. “Valdemar [Costa Neto] he knows that we have around a third of explicitly conservative voters and he is right in trying to establish the PL as a preferential voting option for them”, he highlights. This perception also seems to guide the actions of PP and Republican presidents. Therefore, the common flight plan of these parties is not expected to change, but is conditioned by the political and economic situation, as well as the mood and preferences of the electorate that will be indicated by opinion polls.

Tarcísio leads in the polls, but should seek re-election

Political scientist André Felipe Rosa recalls that current surveys confirm Tarcísio de Freitas at the forefront of right-wing bets for 2026 due to political characteristics that voters consider to determine voting preferences. “The candidate’s personal attributes, such as friendliness and common sense, are relevant in this inaugural evaluation,” he said.

In any case, the governor of SP has been instructed not to repeat the mistake of predecessors who sought the Presidency, giving up re-election taken for granted. On the other hand, Rosa adds that Zema has already had to face the government’s offensive against his image, especially with a negative approach to his statements on tax reform, interpreted as an alleged attack on the Northeast.

“Although it is still too early to analyze the 2026 scenario, we have observed movements. With the PT defending the re-election of Lula and Bolsonaro ineligible, the right already has a great challenge: uniting around a name strong enough to face the current president”, says lawyer Letícia Barros, vice-president of the Lola Brasil movement. , which promotes female leaders committed to economic liberalism.

For her, Tarcísio and Zema are consolidating themselves as the main options in a polarized context in which the Lula government remains uncertain.