VP Mourão considering run for Rio governor

VP Hamilton Mourão. Photo: Bruno Batista/VPR

Unlikely to be on Jair Bolsonaro’s presidential ticket for a second time, Vice President Hamilton Mourão is considering his options for next year’s election. According to the latest rumors, he could be gearing up for a run at Rio de Janeiro Governor — despite being from Brazil’s southernmost state Rio Grande do Sul.

The chairman of Mr. Mourão’s Brazilian Labor Renewal Party told CNN Brasil that the vice president wants the job and would expect to have Mr. Bolsonaro’s support.

But just last month, Mr. Mourão’s name was included in talks for a Senate run, either for Rio de Janeiro or Rio Grande do Sul.

His party’s plan is to put the vice president in contact with business owners to seek support and, depending on what the polls say, choose his next move.

Mr. Mourão is a bonafide ultraconservative that, while sharing many of Jair Bolsonaro’s outrageous beliefs (such as calling a known torturer an “honored man”), doesn’t have the president’s brash style, thus being less divisive.

A recent poll shows Mr. Mourão polling second in the gubernatorial race with 17 percent of voting intentions, six points behind left-wing Congressman Marcelo Freixo.

Gustavo Ribeiro

An award-winning journalist, Gustavo has extensive experience covering Brazilian politics and international affairs. He has been featured across Brazilian and French media outlets and founded The Brazilian Report in 2017. He holds a master’s degree in Political Science and Latin American studies from Panthéon-Sorbonne University in Paris.