Bolsonaro rises in Rio, his political birthplace, to tie with Lula

Photo: Isac Nóbrega/PR

A recent poll shows that President Jair Bolsonaro has gained ground in Rio de Janeiro, his political birthplace and the state with the third-largest number of voters in the country. Per pollster Quaest, he is tied with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva with 35 percent of the votes apiece.

The results of this survey are not directly comparable to previous ones due to a change in methodology. But in March, Lula was 8 points ahead. As the election draws closer, Mr. Bolsonaro has been able to narrow the gap that separates him from the frontrunner in the South and Southeast regions — where he performed the best in 2018.

Candidates of the so-called “third way” failed to reach the double digits.

Rio de Janeiro’s incumbent governor, Cláudio Castro, leads the gubernatorial race with 25 percent of voting intentions. He recently said he will support Mr. Bolsonaro — but won’t criticize Lula.

Amanda Audi

Amanda Audi is a journalist specializing in politics and human rights. She is the former executive director of Congresso em Foco and worked as a reporter for The Intercept Brasil, Folha de S. Paulo, O Globo, Gazeta do Povo, Poder360, among others. In 2019, she won the Comunique-se Award for best-written media reporter and won the Mulher Imprensa award for web journalism in 2020